11.6. Databases on the Internet

The basis for publishing databases on the world wide web is a simple arrangement of information from databases on the web pages of the network.

The publication of databases on the Internet is designed to solve a number of tasks, among which are the following:

1) the organization of the relationship of database management systems that operate on various platforms;

2) building information systems on the Internet based on a multi-level database architecture;

3) building local Intranet networks using database publishing technologies on the Internet;

4) application to the Internet of information from the available local network databases;

5) the use of databases to streamline the information provided on the Internet;

6) using the Web browser as an accessible client program to access databases on the Internet.

To publish databases on Web pages, there are two main ways to generate Web pages containing information from databases:

1) static publication — Web pages are created and stored on the Web server until the user's request to receive them (as files on the hard disk in the format of a Web document). This method is used when publishing information that is rarely updated in the database. The main advantages of such an organization for publishing databases on the Internet are accelerated access to Web documents that contain information from databases and a reduction in server load when processing client requests;

2) dynamic publishing - Web pages are created when a user requests a server. The server sends a request for the generation of such pages to the program — an extension of the server that generates the required document. After that, the server sends the finished Web page back to the browser. This method of forming Web pages is used when the contents of the database are frequently updated, for example, in real time. This method publishes information from databases for online stores and information systems. Dynamic pages are formed using various tools and technologies, for example ASP (Active Server Page - an active server page), PHP (Personal Home Page tools - personal home page tools).

Among the software tools that provide information from the Internet, stood out Web applications (Internet applications), which are a set of Web pages, scripts and other software located on one or more computers and designed to perform an application task. Applications that publish databases on the Internet are divided into a separate class of web applications.