As users of web sites expect to be able to do more and more online it becomes increasingly difficult to achieve without the use of databases.

Although a content management system will use a database to store and retrieve relevant content, there are many examples where this is not enough

A good example is where there is a process flow with a branch depending on a previous action. This might be a complicated application form where there is a separate set of questions for each different scenario

Another one might be an online quote facility. (see case studies)

We specialise in these 'tricky' sites and have years of specialist database and programming knowledge to call on. See the list of our current skills below:

Databases

• Microsoft Access - Although we wouldn't recommend this database for large sites, it is fine for use with enquiry forms and content management on smaller sites.
• SQL Server - One of the big two in terms of web site databases. Possibly overkill for smaller sites but can handle almost anything. The hosting costs tend to be considerably more than Microsoft Access and MySQL.
• SQL Server Express - A free version of the latest SQL Server release. Most hosting companies tend to offer the full version however.
• MySQL - An extremely popular open source database. Probably the most widely used database on the web.

Programming Languages

• PHP - The Linux alternative to ASP. Most commonly used in combination with MySQL.
• JavaScipt - A client side language (meaning it runs on the users browser). Very widely used on web sites to provide fancy effects such as rollovers. Nowadays websites use libraries such as jQuery to make scripting easier. We use jQuery for all our projects.