Data Access and Transactions

Data Publishing Considerations

Of course, not everything great about Web database access is free. Before you start combining databases and HTML, there are some important issues you should consider:

Static vs. Dynamic How much of your site really needs data access? How often does your content change? Dynamic solutions, especially if they involve accessing a database, are slower than plain, static HTML pages. If you display data that doesn’t change frequently, you can improve performance (for your server and your client) by converting dynamic pages to HTML.
Server Load Be sure you have sufficient server resources to handle the increased demands of database access. Consider memory, CPU speed, Internet connection speed, disk subsystems and other critical hardware factors. If you are expecting heavy database traffic, you may need to separate your Web server and database management system (DBMS) onto two computers (or more). Also, use existing database and performance management tools to help you measure and balance your server load.
Tool Support The tools used to develop Web-based applications sometimes aren’t being updated as fast as the technology is changing. Research and choose your tools carefully before you implement a large-scale database project.
Database Scalability and Reliability Determine how much the database is likely to grow. On average, how often will users access it? What kinds of tasks will they perform? What is your Web site’s overall growth estimate—in both content and readership?
Client Presentation How will users access the data on your site? Will they be able to add to it, or modify it? Will the users have their own copies of the data, or will they only have access to the information while online? Using Microsoft® Data Access Components (MDAC), information can either be manipulated on the server as part of a server-side query, or be bundled as a package and transmitted to the client. Choosing how the information will be presented to the user is perhaps the hardest decision you’ll have to make—often a hybrid approach is best.