Why do I need a database? I only have a web site.
Over 75% of the websites today have content in some form or another that is pulled from a database. Databases offer an efficient and rapid deployment of content and assets within a controlled and secure environment.
The #1 database used on the Internet today is MySQL. This is an opens source application that works with a myriad of platforms.
Let’s compare updating a site with and without a database.
Without:
- Ensure you have a person with the technical abilities to alter your HTML pages and content (This limits the people who could perform the changes)
- The actual web site files must be available and the latest versions to avoid inaccurate information on the web site (Physical access to the files is required)
- Assuming the person responsible for the change requests has all the necessary programs installed, the changes are made (This limits the changes to a specific computer)
- The files that have been adjusted must be uploaded to the web site then verified (Access to the server is required)
With (using a CMS):
- Anyone with access can login from any computer using any internet browser
- The page requiring the change is located from a simple menu
- The change is made on the web page, no software is required
- The change is submitted and is now live
This is a simplified analogy but you can see how the use of a database makes such a difference even on this simple task.
How else can a database help?
By automating many of your daily tasks you not only free up time to work in a more production environment but also remove the human element from mundane tasks eliminating those errors. So what database services can we offer you?
- Data Warehousing
- Data Integration
- Analysis & Statistics
- Data Mining
- Internal Process Streamlining
- Automation of Tasks
- Client Information and Marketing
Here is an example of process automation and web deployment using a MySQL database.
We worked on a project aimed at a financial information provider and helped to reduce the overall production time by almost 90% saving 20 days out of the month.
By introducing a database solution we automated the collection and parsing of data from weeks to minutes. Building from this, a new web site application was developed that produced high-resolution PDF pages reducing the desktop publishing time from 2 weeks to less than 1 hour.
Through this process we were able to help identify then launch new products that were a direct result of the solutions we provided.