This is an introduction for those unfamiliar with the concept of a "dynamic" or "data driven" website. There are a few examples at the base of this page.

There are two types of sites. One we call "brochure sites." You can tell a "brochure site" as the address normally ends in .htm. These have information about a company such as contact details, a few pictures and photos of staff, a list of a few products and maybe a couple of prices. These sites are "static" in that the only way you can make changes is to manually open up the file, change the data and upload the new version to the web. Managing these sites is time-consuming.

This type of site serve a purpose, but as a company develops it's web strategy, they see its limitations and seek to find a better way of delivering their particular product or service.

The second type are "dynamic sites." The information you read (and the pictures you look at) on these sites don't come from the html pages, but from the database that the site is connected to. These sites often end in .asp (Microsoft Active Server Pages) or .cfm (Cold Fusion). The advantage is that when you update your database, your website is also updated.

The Easy Way to Discover Cowboy Web Developers

Ask them "Can you publish our product list, catalogue etc... on our Web Site?"

If they reply "Yes, that’s easy", ask them, "When prices (or other information) change, how will we keep the Web Site copy up-to-date?"

If they then reply "Just give me the changes and I will update it for you (at an hourly cost)", you've just discovered another cowboy!

Scenario

What are your Options? 1. Static pages - time consuming, painful to administrate, fast loading 2. Dynamic Pages - efficient, flexible, less duplication of work, if designed incorrectly can be slow loading

Let's say you run a company that sells Camping Tents. You've been able to keep your "brochure site" up to date as Tent prices haven't been changing much and there's only a few different models on the market. So far it's been great.

One day you receive a phone call from the CEO of Camping Tents Inc. He tells you that the tent market is about to explode. There will be 500 more models of tents entering the market, each in "5 popular colours." Not only that, he warns: "there's going to be a lot of price fluctuations, especially in the first few months, and who knows after that."

"I hope I can count on you..." he says, menacingly.

What do you do? You could stay up all night, every night for the next two years adding new pictures to your brochure site, changing prices, deleting products. You wouldn't be alone..

Or you could take the smart option. You could build a database which manages your entire site. When you get a new product, or a new price for an existing product, all you do is add it to the database (on-line) and, voila, your website is also updated. It's that simple.

Which option would you take?

Where to From Here?

If your interested in maximising the benefits from a team with proven experience and the latest technology call now to arrange a meeting to discuss your requirements, or become a member and drop us a line.

Examples

Shopping On-Line Using ASP

We have an example of on-line shopping database which has been built using Active Server Pages.

ASP technology is used on this Web Site. Feel free to visit our Products page to see how SSW is using ASP now!

Adding Information to a Database Using ASP

The uses for ASP are virtually unlimited. In this example see a form that enters data into our corporate database.

Sending Email Using ASP

This example demonstrates how SSW uses ASP technology to send an email. Try this example and send an email to your friend.