DW, MSAccess w/o PHP or MySQL

[Stranger]

'm thinking about building a database driven web-site. Vendors w/post info about their products and customers will purchase or post requests for special orders. I'm contemplating buying the latest version of Dreamweaver. I want to integrate MSAccess databases.
I have written HTML for my photography web-site now inop. Can this be done fairly quickly or will there be a steep cliff to climb?
Any guidance will be gratefully accepted.

[DaveSawers]

I don't have the very latest version of Dreamweaver but I doubt if it will give you much help in writing the necessary code to make the database work. Some server side coding in PHP or similar will be required and even if Dreamweaver can automatically generate some of it you will still need to be able to understand it.

If you haven't indulged in any programming before, then the cliff will be steep but not impossible.

Why would you use MSAccess? MySQL is a better product and is readily available on most web servers.

[Stranger]

So, if my hosting server has MySQL, I should just be able to access it? Transfering my 14,000 +/_ MSAccess Data Base shouldn't be too much of a problem. I just can't see paying $500/year for something that is close to what I already have.

[DaveSawers]

Depends on your hosting plan. Most include MySQL at no extra cost.

You can dump an existing database to a text file as SQL table create and insert instructions and upload it in no time. This is anyway a good backup procedure to do from time to time.

[arthurakay]

MS Access is great for about only one thing... if you want to look at your database information using the Access software (which is basically just like Excel, but slower).

I would definitely choose MySQL, or Postgres, or any other database over Access.. I've got two sites using Access, and it's great to learn database applications, but it's also tricky to learn to hook into your website. Database coding is never "easy" to get the hang of, but if you're just starting I would definitely take the time to use MySQL (or something other than Access).

The advantage? Access is ONLY supported on Microsoft servers, whereas MySQL, Postgres, and others are often supported across multiple platforms like Linux. This makes your life a million times easier if you have to switch hosting companies at some point.

And can this be done fairly quickly? If you know what you're doing ahead of time... so in your case (as a beginner), probably not. But stick with it, it's great education.

[jimn]

"Access software (which is basically just like Excel, but slower)."

While Access may not necessarily be the best choice for some applicaitons the above statement is completely absurd. It shows a complete lack of understanding of databases and spreadsheets.

[lplatz]

Something to consider, especially with your lack of both Dreamweaver and MySql knowledge. Visit: Free Online Database, Application Creator and Web Form Builder: Zoho Creator.

I have not used this tool, but did go through their on-line demo and it looks very promising for rapid development of web based database driven applications. I'm certainly going to try this on a future project.

Other similar services to consider:
Home Page | Coghead, Inc
Interneer - Company Information
Webation: FREE instant site! Just add content.

Enjoy and good luck!