[thelist] to database or not

[Jim Davis]

Peter,

It really depends on what you hope to achieve in the e-commerce site.  I am
in a similar situation where we have an established proprietary accounting
software that has a built in ASP app to support an E-commerce site based off
the software.  Since the built in software does not fit my needs or the
companies, I am planning on scrapping it and implementing a database and
software (ASP.NET) of my own to run the site.  IMHO it seems to me that you
would need to integrate a backend database to help run the capture and
storage of things like:

 * customer billing/shipping information
 * shopping cart items
 * customer service management
 * inventory levels
 * RMA( Return Merchandise Authorization) process.

Many of the items listed could be done with a simple form that e-mails you
the user input but I have come to find that users expect a little more out
of an e-commerce site then that, plus the more work you have the database do
for you the better off you will be down the road.

Here are a few books I can recommend to you. The top item "Relational
Database Design for Mere Mortals" is extremely well written and will give
you a definitive idea about the process of strategic database development
from a beginners perspective.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0201694719/makovision/102-0930870-954
0137

Hope that helps.
Thanks,
Jim Davis
Hy-Tech Computer Systems


-----Original Message-----
From: thelist-admin at lists.evolt.org
[mailto:thelist-admin at lists.evolt.org]On Behalf Of Peter Kaulback
Sent: Thursday, September 13, 2001 9:22 AM
To: thelist at lists.evolt.org
Subject: [thelist] to database or not


I'm setting up an ecommerce site for the first time using a shopping cart
from an established ASP.  Now I'm curious if running the store from a
database would be more beneficial to the overall handling or what?  I don't
run database driven sites at all and I know the ASP allows for some
databases to be installed.  But I would like to cover as many options
before falling all the way down the rabbit hole.

Peter Kaulback


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