Often databases are erroneously perceived as obsolete tools used only to organize and store important information used to generate scheduled reports or extract data to illustrate on graphs.  With the e-commerce industry, however, raking in billions of dollars in annual profits, entrepreneurs with online ventures recognize the vast opportunities of utilizing web host databases.   Implementing web host databases allows online business owners to enhance website visibility, conveniently alter changes to dynamic website content, assist in personalizing interactive experiences, and maintain current customer information.

Selecting an Effective Database Package

Depending upon the web hosting provider and package you opt to purchase usually determines the available database server(s) that you will be granted access to in order to maintain your website.   For those opting to purchase a Linux web hosting package, usually MySQL is the primary database server;  although hinging on the web hosting service, PostgreSQL databases may also be available to use.

Windows web hosting is another option that also allows users to utilize MySQL databases in combination with web scripts as well as specific Microsoft database applications such as Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Access.  It’s important to note that both of these applications are recommended for ASP and ASP.NET websites.  Depending on your database web hosting experience and desired expectations from your database should be the determining factors when deciding on the best database if you are managing a PHP or ASP supported website.

Microsoft Access is an affordable and easy to use desktop database application if you don’t anticipate your website to generate heavy traffic; however, for expanding websites with potential of heavy traffic flow, Microsoft SQL Server and MySQL Server may prove to be the best option.  It’s important to understand the size of your database is considered as resources being utilized.  So if your database is eating up disk space then a dedicated server may prove to be beneficial for your database hosting needs.

Advantages of Web Host Databases

There are numerous advantages of using a database to effectively and efficiently manage your website.  Perhaps the most obvious is the fact a database allows you to setup a central location where information is stored and then allows you to write your own scripts, if so desired.  Another “behind the scenes” advantage of databases is the fact it enhances visitor interaction by allowing you to develop forms to be added to your website, once visitors complete the information and submit the form then the information is processed and conveniently added to the database.  Other benefits include: the ability to setup password protected areas of your website, quickly add more personalized features, and offer visitors more current and exciting dynamic content.

Successful entrepreneurs doing business in the global e-commerce marketplace also realize the benefits of using databases to assist in their online ventures.  Databases are an essential tool that allows online business merchants to quickly access product information stored in a database to adjust prices on one or more items without the need to create a static webpage for each individual product.  Additionally, databases store customer information including contact information, purchase history, and preferred payment methods.  Last but certainly not least, databases are also vital in maintaining mailing lists as well as newsletter subscriptions.

The collective advantages make web hosting databases a vital tool necessary to be taken as a serious competitor in today’s fierce competition.   Keep in mind though that some database web hosting servers may exceed your budget, so before making a final decision shop around before committing to any contract!

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Original: Web Hosting Databases: Breaking the Data Storage Mold Imagine

Everyday millions of people surf the web without knowing what goes on behind the scenes in the web server they’re interacting with. However, as a webmaster you are required to have at least basic knowledge about server technology in order to have an increased understanding of how to improve your productivity and prevent common problems.

MySQL is the most common database type used in web servers, and is utilized on the majority of web sites on the internet. In basic terms, MySQL databases are a type of database that let you develop a relational structure with a database in order to store data and automate web site procedures. MySQL holds the site’ tables, while PHP facilitates the communication between the server and your visitors. Using MySQL databases a web developer can create robust and diverse projects that are not limited by data distribution restrictions and other common hurdles.

The following information sheds light on what MySQL databases are an how they work.

Open Source MySQL

MySQL is an open source database type that is free and easy to install on most web servers. In fact, if you have a web hosting plan, and currently utilizing any type of blogging or web site creation platform, then there is a good chance that your hosting plan is compatible with and is currently utilizing MySQL databases. In most cases MySQL databases are associated with Linux servers, however the technology is not limited to these and can be compatible with Windows servers as well. Because MySQL is an open source database type, it is frequently expanding in its functionality and there is a lot of assistance available online regarding its use. Even so, using MySQL databases can be a bit confusing for the novice webmaster, since there is no WYSYWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor.

Using MySQL Databases and PHPMyAdmin

MySQL requires you to create data tables using SQL statements, which can be created manually, or via another open source third party tool called PHPMyAdmin. This software gives you a simplified user interface that will let you create tables for use within the MySQL database platform, and also lets you run queries to find pre-existing information within the databases on your server, which can be a tremendous time saver for busy webmasters that need to find specific data with ease. You can also type in simple information and have this info turned into a database automatically using PHPMyAdmin. Using this software is a must if you are trying to boost your productivity and simplify the process of creating and managing your MySQL databases.

MySQL vs. Microsoft Access

There are many differences between Microsoft Access and MySQL, and in general MySQL is a much more robust solution than Access. In regards to speed and reliability, MySQL is leaps and bounds ahead of access because of its open source user-friendliness and simple expandability. Access is only a desktop database system, so it cannot really be compared with MySQL, which is a comprehensive online database system.

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Original: Understanding MySQL Databases

WordPress has become the most popular content management system in the world over the past five years, although it was originally meant to be a blogging platform. Users around the world now use WordPress to setup and manage websites in nearly every niche in existence. The most appealing aspect of WordPress is undoubtedly the countless plugins that can be used to modify and enhance the functionality of the WordPress interface. Upon first using WordPress, most people are impressed at how simple the interface is designed and how accessible all of the information and settings pertaining to their website is.

Flexibility of WordPress

As you begin to use the platform as a content management system to manage a website instead of a blog, you’ll quickly realize that there are many features that do not allow for simple management of static pages that are necessary in the construction of a regular website. This means your latest post will always appear at the top of your home page. Although this seems like a game breaker, the fact is, there is a plugin for this that lets you make any post a sticky and place it at any point on the page. There is even a plugin that lets you remove the date form the side of the post, to completely remove the blog look and feel. This is just a small example of the flexibility of WordPress.

The Dynamic Nature of a WordPress Database

In order to maintain the above flexibility, WordPress needs to store all your site’s data in a dynamic MySQL database. This means your files are located in a secure database that cannot be modified externally, other than modifying it within your hosting control panel. This means you cannot access your site’s pages within an FTP client, and instead you must access the database directly within your control panel’s MyPHPAdmin section. There you will find all of the WordPress installations you have active on your server.

Adding Directories to Your WordPress Website

Since you cannot directly access your sites web pages through FTP, you cannot upload new information to your site’s pages through an FTP client. Instead you have to upload the page or post within your site’s WordPress admin. You can however upload completely new pages to a new directory on your site. By creating a directory for your site in your FTP client you can easily add new pages to that directory and  then link to those pages within the internal structure of your WordPress site. This is useful when you would like to create reference popup pages within your site that can be linked to via anchor text within your site’s articles.

To create a new directory for your site in your FTP client, simply left-click any blank area in the bottom of the remote side of the FTP client (the bottom quadrant of the right side), then click on “new directory” or “create new directory”. The exact option will vary depending on your FTP client, but you see this command in the left-click menu. Then name the directory and you’re done! Now you can upload custom web pages to that directory that you can link to in your WordPress site!

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Original: Understanding Your WordPress Database in Your Control Panel

The software industry is very diverse, offering solutions to just about every digital problem in existence. Learning how to use a very complex piece of software is enough to drive anyone crazy, and the sad part is – many people do not even know how to run their software. This is especially true for software that needs to be run on web server.

Almost any software that requires constant access to the internet can be hosted on an Apache server and run using your hosting account. This not only saves your computer system resources, thus speeding up your computer, it also expedites the overall efficiency of the software itself.

Installing the Software on Your Server

Installing software onto a web server is relatively simple if you know what you are doing. You can even run several software at once on the same web server. The problem occurs when you realize that not all software can be installed in the same way. That’s when you encounter various terms such as PHP, MySQl, and more. Although the installation process differs depending upon the software or script, in general you will need to use an FTP client for every installation.

Uploading Software to Web Server

The first step in uploading the software to the web server is to download a good FTP client. I would recommend FileZilla because it is free, popular, reliable, and easy to use. Once you have FTP client installed you can then navigate to the software files on the hard driver side of the FTP client (the left side). Right click on it and then press upload. It is important to note that you need to read the README file of your software to see where you need to install the software on your web server. Most software will do just fine if they are installed in the route folder of web server.

Running the Software

Once again this process differs depending upon the software you are running and what it is intended to do. A basic script can be run simply by visiting the web page that the script was installed to. For example, if you installed a very simple script that generates random names, you would simply visit the page that the script is installed on and click the generate button. Of course this is a basic example, however the concept remains the same for any script or software that you install or use on a web server.  The program is accessed the same way a web page would be accessed, this means it is important for you to know which directory the software is installed in.

Conclusion

Not all software can be run on a web server, however if you have extra server resources available and you are trying to run a powerful piece of software on a constant basis, then you should definitely consider running any demanding software remotely using your web server, this is especially true if you are already paying a lot for a dedicated or VPS server.

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Original: Using Your Hosting Account to Run Software

Many business owners do not realize that maintaining website performance is every bit as important as making the website appear to be professional. In fact, many site owners make the mistake of overloading their site with too much information and thereby hindering the speed and functionality of their website. While having complex flash presentations, eye-catching media, and other entertaining features on your website is optimal, it should not sacrifice the performance of your website. After all, how many people will want to stay at your site if all of these features are taking an hour to load? In order to crate a well balanced website and monitor the server load of your website you’ll need a competent control panel, and you’ll need to know how to use it as well.

Database Management

Managing databases and managing your website might as well be interchangeable phrases, as the databases of your website basically comprise it’s existence. Without the right database management skills, you could find yourself staring at a cluttered unorganized mess of date. Using a control panel to maintain cleaned and up to date databases is a good way to improve the speed of your website.  Using database servers like MySQL will let you use several databases for multiple reasons, thereby balancing some of the load placed on the web server. Using a control panel like cPanel will let you manage all of your databases with ease.

Controlling File Transfer Protocol

Uploading files to the server can be a daunting task, especially when you have a lot of content for your site. To lessen the amount of time it takes to upload, it is best to become familiar with your control panels FTP module. You’ll also want to outsource some of the work eventually, especially if you have people producing content for you in large quantities. A good control panel will let you create new FTP accounts for each user, so they can upload the content straight to the website, saving you a lot of time and frustration. Each FTP account can be given limitations or permissions that allow certain users to handle certain tasks. For example, a writer would only be able to upload written content to the site.

Analyzing Traffic with Your Control Panel

Another way to boost productivity and manage the loaf placed on your website is to use the traffic analyzing utilities that are included with your control panel. Using these tools you can find a plethora of statistics that lend insight to the nature of your website’s traffic. This information can help you make decisions in regards to upgrading your web hosting plan, and judging when it is time to expand your server capabilities. The number one reason why website owners suffer from poor website performance is because they fail to upgrade when it is time to do so. Staying on top of your website’s traffic habits not only lets you monitor your servers capability, but you’ll also be able to see what traffic generating techniques work for you by analyzing daily and weekly traffic statistics.

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Original: Maintaining Website Performance with the Right Control Panel

Building a website by yourself is a very difficult task. So difficult in fact that it is rarely done. If you do decide to build the website without assistance, unless you have extensive experience in website design, and you’re an excellent author at the same time, then chances are your site will be mediocre at best. Cooperation and collaboration is standard in the website creation industry. There are very few people that can establish a professional website without at least seeking the knowledge of another person before hand.

When you work on a site building project with multiple users, having the ability to set restrictions and delegate website duties is imperative. You’ll need to be able to run the operation with precision and authority, in order to same yourself time and frustration. To do this you’ll need a good content management system. Selecting the right open source content management system be a difficult task in and of itself. To make the task easier on yourself, perform the following steps.

Assess Your Needs

The first step is to find out what kind of features you’ll need in a content management system. Will you be delegating work to authors? Will you be working with multiple programmers and designers? If so then you’ll definitely need a secure administrative interface that will give you the ability to designate certain tasks to each of your team members. Write down what kind of features that will be most essential and then you can begin the search.

Look For Compatibility

It is important to remember what kind of operating system you’re using and remember that not all content management systems are compatible with all operating systems. You’ll also need to remember what kind of operating system your sever operates on. It is also important to note which programming language your site uses. The most combination that you will find is PHP language and MySQL databases, being run on an Apache servers. If you don;t want to go through the hassle of finding a compatible content management system, then you may want to find a host that has these features, which most content management systems will be compatible with.

Compile a list of Suitable CMS

Now that you know exactly what you’re looking for it is time to compile a list that will narrow your options and make the final decision easier for you. Open a word processor  or pull out a sheet of paper and a pen and get ready to do some web searching. Finding the top content management systems will not be as hard as you would think. There are many review sites that have already compiled long lists of all of the top content management systems for you. All you have to do is eliminate the content management systems that are not compatible with the needs we assessed above.

Narrow Your Options

Now that you have a large list of CMS to choose from, all that is left to do is to narrow the list down to one CMS. One by one, check of each one as being compatible or not compatible. When you’re finished you should have a list of about 3-5 content management systems. Next visit each one of their websites and test their support team. The final decision will come down to reliability and cost efficiency.

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Original: Choosing Your CMS: Assessing Needs and Comparing Features

ECDomain Review: With powerful servers to consistently address your ever burgeoning data needs ECDomain gives you the multiple options to choose from multiple plans. With 250 GB of space and 6GB of bandwidth ECDomain provides maximum flexibility to address your various requirements with several added features. ECDomain offers free hosting with many features like PHP5, MySQL etc., You can also install many popular scripts with fantastico, which are available even with their free hosting plan. Their Free Hosting Platform runs on VistaPanel.

About ECDomain:

Our powerful free hosting plan has PHP 5 and MySQL support. You get a free sub-domain. FTP access. Add on your own TLD domains using the domain manager. Free hosting is a complete solution giving you everything you need to run your own website.

With the Automatic Script Installer (Like Fantastico) included with every free hosting plan. You can install many popular scripts such as PHPbb2 & PHPbb3, WordPress, Zen-Cart, osCommerce, MyBB, UseBB, MyLittle Forum, 4images, Coppermine, SMF, Joomla, e107, XOOPS, PHP Wind, CuteNews, Mambo, WikiWig and many more! No need to wait a long time uploading files, Our Automatic Script Installer deploys your files in seconds! Our free hosting platform uses the powerful VistaPanel

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Original: ECDomain

One of the more popular reasons to have a web site is blogging.  Blogging allows web users the ability to report news, express commentaries on various subjects or simply write about their personal experiences.  Online companies and businesses are beginning to see the usability of blogs and not only are incorporating them into their web sites but also expanding and desiring to be able to produce multiple blogs.  This is where a product like B2Evolution steps in – a multi-blog program that is free and open sourced.

All user types

B2Evolution caters to several different levels of bloggers.  There are many types of bloggers – those that are new and those who have been at it for quite some time.  This program works for all.

For the absolute virgin in the world of blogging, B2Evolution allows users to simply type in what they wish to say into a form, click “post this,” and the new post is automatically placed on the web site.  No fuss, no muss.  All posts are arranged by date and category within themes that users can choose and customize.

B2Evolution works well for those who are old hats at blogging as well as IT professionals.  It allows for multiple blogs, full user management, internationalization, and more.  The program utilizes PHP  and MySQL and is stable in its latest release.

Features

B2Evolution comes stocked with many great features.

First and foremost, it is one of few blogging software programs freely available that allows for the creation of more than one blog.  Whether it be one or 1000 blogs, B2Evolution can handle it.  As such, multiple users and authors can be created to maintain and administer the program.  Users can be restricted to specific permissions such as read, write, moderate or fully customize one or more blogs.

Statistics are integrated into the program.  Activity graphs clearly indicate referrers, searches, keywords, user log-ins and many other bits of data.

Blogs can be sub-divided into categories and even sub-categories.  This allows users to be able to organize posts by subject or theme.  Posts can even be assigned across more than one category or more than one blog.

B2Evolution is also completely compliant with W3C standards – it is even used by W3C.  The program has an XHTML checker that allows for validation prior to posting included as well.

Extendable

The B2Evolution program can be extended with several hundred plug-ins that cover spam, advertising, widgets and more.  To ensure that no two web sites are exactly alike, there are over a hundred different themes to choose from.  B2Evolution also offers an AdSense plugin for blogs to generate income.

For language extendability, the program current offers language packs in German, French, Russian, Spanish, Finnish, Icelandic, Dutch, Portuguese, Turkish and Chinese.  If the language needed is not present, the company provides information on how to translate the program into one’s preferred language.

Final Thoughts

B2Evolution truly is as its web site touts – a multilingual, multi-user, multi-blog program that is easy to use and sure to be an online business favorite.

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Original: Multiple Blogs With B2Evolution

When looking for a content management system (CMS) to create and manage a web site, there are literally hundreds to choose from.  One that stands out from the crowd due to its ease of use and simple implementation is WordPress.

Installation

The few items that should be checked prior to installation is whether or not PHP and MySQL are installed on the server where the web site resides and whether FTP access is enabled.  WordPress relies on PHP and MySQL in order to work and the site must be accessible via FTP in order to upload files.  Once these items have been attended to, WordPress can be downloaded and unzipped onto the user’s computer (not the web server at this point).  A database must be created on the web server as well as a user with the privileges set to access and utilize this newly created database.  Once the database has been created, the file named wp-config-sample.php needs to be renamed to wp-config.php then opened up and edited to reflect the details of the database previously created.  After the wp-config.php file is saved, the entire folder can then be uploaded to the web site at the root web location.

Configuring and adding

The installation of WordPress is the hard part.  The easy and fun part is configuring and adding to the program.  There are a large number of plugins and themes available to make a web site one of a kind.  Plugins range from statistical gathering to comments to polls and much more.  If there is a need, guaranteed it has already been created as a plugin by someone.  At last count, there are over one thousand themes available at the WordPress site and this number continuously grows.

The WordPress site also has an extensive documentation area that covers installation, upgrading, file and plugin management and much more.  If a question can’t be answered within the documentation area, there is also a forums section overflowing with information from previously asked questions and people who are more than happy to help with wading through the ins and outs of WordPress.

Showcasing

Once the WordPress site is up, running and looking beautiful, WordPress has a “Showcase” section on their web site.  This is a great way to show off a newly created site and gives peers a chance to review and rate different sites.  The Showcase area is also great for inspiration.  Some very beautiful and creative WordPress sites are shown here.

Conclusion

Easy to install, simple and fun to add to and configure, great documentation and forum support, a way to show off new sites and free hosting – WordPress is an excellent choice for managing web site content and building a beautiful new web site.

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Original: WordPress Content Management System

A quick Google search online for e-commerce solutions will garner a huge number of software solutions available for free or commercial use.  Among the free solutions available, and slowly losing its initial popularity, is osCommerce.  osCommerce is an extensive and quite possibly one of the most thorough out-of-the-box pieces of software you can find.  However, as all-encompassing as it may be, it is in severe need of a major overhaul to place it at the same level as its peers.

How it all began

osCommerce got its start in March of 2000.  Created by Harald Ponce de Leon and originally called “The Exchange Project”, osCommerce quickly began to grow in both initial popularity and capabilities.  The software is created with PHP and uses MySQL for its database core.  It can be installed on any server that utilizes these two pieces of programming.  For the past nine years, the program has been in the development stage.  Officially, as of March 2009, osCommerce released its production ready alpha product.  This release, Merchant V 3.0, includes a template system, an object-oriented backend and the ability to define the administration user name and password upon installation.  To date, the osCommerce site claims over 12,000 online stores currently using their product.

The current problems

While it is a very good and all-encompassing shopping cart program, osCommerce is not without its issues.  Installation of the program by a novice may prove to be a daunting task as a basic knowledge of MySQL as well as other web server technologies should be at the ready.  The default SSL option is initially and automatically set to “no” which is practically an open door to nefarious entities trying to gather secure information on customers.  Adding new shopping cart products is no simple task either – there are several options and features that need to be dealt with before adding in a new product, quite possibly the quickest way to creating a lot of confusion.  When you do have the program installed and your cart up and running with all of its products, adding any additional modules or templating takes quite a bit of work and may end up breaking the core of the program.  Not to mention the creators of the software do explicitly state that additions to the core are not always endorsed.

One of the best ways to avoid a lot of this hassle is to either have a seasoned osCommerce professional install the program for you or, if your web host has this option, have it installed by your hosting company.

Conclusion

If you are in need of a shopping cart program that is capable of being search engine optimized, fully featured and very robust, osCommerce is a good choice.  However, it still needs quite a bit of work in as far as installation and add-on capabilities before it can be considered a simple ecommerce program of choice.  OsCommerce is ideal for the knowledgeable and seasoned web developer, not for the novice nor the faint of heart.

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Original: osCommerce, Not For the Faint at Heart