ASP Best Practices

When to Use ASP

ASP is a server-side scripting environment that makes it easy to deliver dynamic Web pages to users as they request them. With ASP, you can customize the user experience in a number of ways:

Deliver pages that are formatted for the user’s browser make and version.
Gather data submitted on HTML forms, and connect browsers with information resources on the server-side, by using COM components for database update or information retrieval.
Develop Web applications that connect browsers with data resources, such as databases on Microsoft SQL Server or IBM DB2.

Because ASP is optimized for multiple threads and multiple users, you can expect better performance with ASP compared to CGI.

Customizing Information Returned to Users

ASP makes it easy to collect data from users anywhere on the network. This data can be used to customize information, which is sent back to the users via ASP. For example, users could submit their preferences for a home (number of bedrooms, price range, location, and more) to a real estate site, by using HTML forms. ASP would submit a request to the database for only those homes that fit the customers’ preferences.

Updating Records Online

ASP can use data from forms that are submitted by browsers in order to maintain databases. For example, if employees are allowed to access an online personnel database, they can update their own data within the personnel directory.

See the following:

When Not to Use ASP