Microsoft SQL Server is a popular database server used by large businesses to power their internal infrastructures as well as their external websites. As well as being able to guarantee security for the data stored in a database, Microsoft SQL Server can also provide the assurance of reliability, which will mean that your data can always be retrieved from a database without you having to worry about the stability of your database server. SQL Server 2008 is the latest carnation of Microsoft SQL Server and offers one of the richest database hosting platforms to date. Microsoft SQL Server 2008 databases are only available with Windows web hosting packages because the database application will only function on the Windows operating system; however, this does allow you to guarantee a certain level of compatibility with other Microsoft technologies. Microsoft SQL Server databases are most commonly used in conjunction with websites that have been developed using either classic ASP or ASP.NET; both of these scripting languages have been developed by Microsoft and offer full compatibility with SQL Server databases – even classic ASP, although as a scripting language this is no longer actively maintained and was succeeded by the first version of ASP.NET.
Posts Tagged ‘database hosting’
SQL Server 2008 Hosting
Thursday, October 7th, 2010CMS Hosting
Thursday, October 7th, 2010CMS stands for Content Management System and is a system that is used as the base of a website to enable webmasters to manage their websites much more easily; a CMS can also be used as the base for the expansion of a website. There are many different CMS systems available, each developed using different scripting languages and database backends meaning that it will be pretty easy to find a content management system that will be able to work with your web hosting package properly. Content management systems provide you with a web interface that will allow you to add and remove content from your website, this means that you won’t have to keep updating and adding new static HTML files to your web space every time you want to update the content on your website; most CMS systems will be able to provide you with a WYSIWYG editor to enable you to manage your content properly, allowing you add images and other multimedia content to your website. Although there are commercial CMS applications available for purchase, as a starting point you should look at using an open source/free one because this way if you find that a CMS isn’t exactly what you require, you haven’t wasted any money.
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Database Hosting
Saturday, July 17th, 2010When creating a dynamic website you are going to need a database backend for use as a central location where all of the data that is relevant to your website can be stored so it can then be accessed by all of the dynamic web pages that will have access to your database credentials. If you are only running a small website then you will find that a standard shared web hosting package will provide you with the capacity that you require in order to use a small database with your website; if you have more complex requirements then you may wish to use a more complex solution such as database server hosting – a separate database server will provide you with its own advantages. Both Linux and Windows web hosting services are able to support database services to a good extent with MySQL being one database standard that is capable of functioning correctly on both operating systems. There are also platform specific database servers available for use depending on what your exact requirements are, although at the end of the day your choice of database application and/or server is more likely to be based on the scripting language that you use as the basis of your website.
A website can only be classed as a dynamic website if it has been created using a scripting language that has then been linked back to an external database where all of the website’s content is stored. You can choose between using database server applications and more simpler desktop database applications that will store all of your content in a single file rather than serving it through a service. Databases that are served through database servers tend to be more secure than those that are single files as files can be easily downloaded if they are stored within the publicly accessible web space.
Database applications are available for both Windows and Linux servers meaning that your choice of operating system is unlikely to affect your choice of database application; the one factor that is more likely to affect your choice is going to be your choice of scripting language. For example, if you choose to use the PHP scripting language for the development of your dynamic website then you are more likely to consider the MySQL database server for your database hosting requirements; when using classic ASP or ASP.NET you are going to be more intent on using Microsoft database applications such as Microsoft SQL Server or Microsoft Access.
A shared web hosting package should be able to provide you with the facilities that will allow you to host at least one database within the web space that you have purchased, thus providing you with the resources required for the running of a small website. Often you will find that web hosting providers are going to be more willing to offer the facility to host an unlimited number of databases under your shared web hosting account, although at the end of the day you are still going to be limited by the amount of disk space that you have available to use.
VPS server and dedicated server hosting solutions are only recommended for larger businesses that have the money to spend on such infrastructures and at the same time are able to justify the cost of having a dedicated database hosting setup. Dedicated database hosting solutions can boost your overall uptime and will provide a level of performance that can’t be offered by single-server database configurations. Dedicated hosting solutions also offer you the scope for expansion into clustered setups if you are after a fail-proof database hosting solution.
In conclusion, database hosting is a form of hosting that has many different branches for you to explore depending on what your exact requirements are. A database is at the heart of most websites these days as webmasters have realised the benefits of using Content Management Systems and other such solutions that store the content that they create in one central location. Guides to creating databases are available in most web hosting provider’s knolwedgebases if it is a practise that you are unfamiliar with; if you are experienced enough then your web hosting provider will provide you with free reign over your databases and how you use them.
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Database Server
Saturday, June 19th, 2010A database server is an application used to store data in an organized way using fields and columns; essentially a database server can be used for the hosting of multiple databases. There are different database servers available for different purposes with SQL databases being better suited to businesses that require a scalable database system that can cope well under high loads. Desktop database applications on the other hand should be used more for general data keeping; however, in some situations databases that have been created in this way can be used as the database backends for websites when used in conjunction with specific web scripting languages.
Database server hosting is an integral part of any web hosting service and even the most basic of shared web hosting packages will come with the ability to host some type of database. A basic Linux shared web hosting package will allow you to host at least one MySQL database whilst most Windows shared web hosting packages will allow for the hosting of Microsoft Access databases at a minimum. When it comes to using VPS server hosting or dedicated server hosting you will be provided with a variety of database servers to choose from that you can then install and configure as you see fit.
Microsoft SQL Server is the SQL database server created by Microsoft for use on Windows servers only and is used by larger businesses to help manage their internal database structure. As it is a commercial application you will be required to pay for Microsoft SQL Server, although there is an Express edition available for free. Microsoft SQL Server is able to provide users with a highly scalable database application that is capable of handling high loads with ease. Microsoft SQL Server can be deployed in a clustered environment, a feature that will benefit businesses that are looking to achieve the highest level of uptime possible from their database systems since reliability is key. If you are looking into developing web applications around Microsoft SQL Server databases then classic ASP and ASP.NET are the two scripting languages that you will want to consider as Microsoft SQL Server databases can be integrated into websites using either with ease.
MySQL Server is an open source SQL database server that is available for both Windows and Linux web hosting servers. As MySQL Server is an open source database server, you won’t have to pay a penny to use it whereas you will have to purchase a license for Microsoft SQL Server if you don’t use the Express edition. PHP is seen as the best accompaniment to MySQL databases as both can be seamlessly integrated to provide you with a dynamic website that will be able to perform a wide variety of functions based around your MySQL database. The management of MySQL databases is an easy task since there are many free desktop database management applications available, although one of the most popular ways to manage MySQL databases is to use the PHPMyAdmin application that is part of most web hosting control panels.
Desktop database applications are designed more for use by those who wish to do very basic data organization as the features provided are better suited for the desktop environment whilst the scalability of such applications is always questionable. Microsoft Access is probably the best known desktop database application available as it is part of the hugely popular Microsoft Office suite; although Microsoft Access databases can be used for a variety of uses on the desktop, like Microsoft SQL Server databases they can also be integrated into classic ASP and ASP.NET based websites. This will allow you to create small but dynamic websites.
In conclusion, when choosing a database server application for use in any environment you ought to first consider the web hosting platform that you are going to use. From there you can then consider the type of database system you would like to use – a fully-fledged database server or a simple desktop database application. It is important for you to make sure that you choose a database application that you will be able to manage properly to help ensure that your website runs smoothly; similarly you should also choose one that can provide you with the performance and reliability that you require.