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, thats 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.