Database Interaction
Why would anyone ever want to use a database on a Web page?
- It's easy for anyone to update the information in a database, but not so easy to update Web pages.
- Up-to-the-second data is displayed on Web pages, not data from last month's Web page update.
- Web Applications can be created such as:
- Pages generated on the fly so that they can be personalized for you, not a page that is aimed at John Doe.
- The limits are endless to database-driven Web pages.
Susquehanna currently supports two ways for Web pages to interact with databases:
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Macromedia Cold Fusion
Cold Fusion has reliably given Susquehanna database-driven Web pages since 1995. Today, it is more versatile than ever and supports our student organization Web page directories, each academic department, the Office of Information Technology Web page, the Conference and Event Management Web page, the Blough-Weis Library Web page, and much more. Cold Fusion uses a variation of HTML called CFML (Cold Fusion Mark-Up Language) to generate the Web pages that it delivers to the viewer.
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Microsoft Active Server Pages
Active Server Pages (ASP) was introduced to Susquehanna in 1998 with the development of the Universal Login. It provides a PIN validated secure login for all students, faculty, and staff to view personal information (such as grades, timesheets, and phone bills) and campus information (such as the campus directories). ASP uses Microsoft's scripting language, VBScript, to generate Web pages on the fly with information provided by databases.
Susquehanna offers a course, E-Business Applications that teaches client-side scripting, basic database development, and Active Server Pages. If you would like to incorporate database interactivity into your department or organization Web page, please email or call the Webmaster at 570-372-4348 to discuss the practicality of what you would like to do. In many cases we can help departments develop a project and/or find a student that can be hired to help implement the project.
