Should i store web information on a database?

bigbri

bigbri

Geek Trainee
Hi,
I am putting together a family tree with a view to publishing it on the internet.

I have the basics layed out, but the information is now becoming a bit too big to handle in its current form.

I was wondering if it would be better to store my information on a database so that it could be organised better and I could then retreive and amend the information in one central place.

Does anyone have any advice on how (if at all) I should proceed with this idea. i.e what should i be using to write it e.g. "ASP" and are there any companies offering cheap database handling services.

I hope this make sense.
Thanks,
Bigbri
 
You could use a database, it would make accessing, editing and adding information a lot easier.

You could use PHP and MYSQL to do it.
 
ASP not sure about the hosting costs but php/mysql hosting is very cheap. If you plan to update the information often enough then yes it would be better but if once you have the full tree and you only need to make a few changes now and then, then a simple HTML should be ok.

You will have to learn php/mysql e.g. how to add to database etc but its not as hard as you might think. If you have done programming before it should not be difficult.
 
Most hosts offer database services with their web packages. As Sniper said, it would probably be cheaper to use one offering PHP/MySQL as they are free and open source. ASP and windows server are proprietary software that will cost much more for the host, and therefore more for you.
 
Just wanted to say a big thank you to "Matt555", "Sniper" and "Addis" for your very quick reply's.

It looks like PHP/MySQL is the winning choice.

Thanks for your advice.
 
No problem, it's what we're here for, if you need any help with the PHP/MYSQL just shout, we'll be able to help I'm sure :)
 
Matt555 said:
You could use a database, it would make accessing, editing and adding information a lot easier.

You could use PHP and MYSQL to do it.
Click to expand...

Hi Matt.
I am using ASP with Access on Win host. It is too slow compared to MySQL & Apache Servers. I know it depends on ISP as well in terms of response time. But my ISP is rather reliable.

What's your view on this? Is it the Acess/ASP or the ISP letting me down.

Thanks in advance.
 
Having never used ASP / Access based system for storing web information I wouldn't know.

It may be down to your provider though - what's the upspeed of your connection? That could be slowing things down I guess.
 
You don't have to use your ISP as your web host, and there are plenty of good hosts which offer dedicated servers with PHP/MySQL.

Matt uses [noparse]http://www.ashosted.co.uk/[/noparse] and recommends it.
 
bigbri said:
...
Does anyone have any advice on how (if at all) I should proceed with this idea. i.e what should i be using to write it e.g. "ASP" and are there any companies offering cheap database handling services.
...i
Click to expand...

Are you familiar with any programming languages? PHP is fast and very C-like in its syntax, but is much much more forgiving. It's my server-side language of choice.

Overall, I'd recommend PHP+MySQL for your situation, but you'll want to spend some time layout at the database beforehand. Here's some info straight from the MySQL folks on storing and traversing a tree in a database:
http://dev.mysql.com/tech-resources/articles/hierarchical-data.html
 
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