CIM277 Intro to ECommerce

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CIM277 Intro to E-Commerce

• Week 3/4

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Introducing Database Server Tools

• Databaseswaitdont go to sleep!
• Databases may not be the most glamorous part of
  E-Commerce, but they are certainly one of the
  most critical parts. Databases have come to
  define any organized data content used for
  e-commerce. In a nutshell, databases provide the
  sellable content information, customer
  information, and even payment information
  critical for an e-commerce site to remain
  operational.

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What Databases Are Used For

• E-Commerce Databases are used to store
  information for everything from Inventory to
  Market Research
• Databases are the MOST USED aspect within
  E-Commerce
• Virtually all information that is exchanged
  between the customer/audience and the vendor
  should be stored on some level
• A typical list of Database-Oriented Components
  for E-Commerce
• Customer Relationship Management
• Inventory Control
• Shipping/Receiving
• Accounting
• Human Resources (Internal Employees)
• Most of the database applications are NOT
  interconnected- they are not going to share data.
• This is for security purposes

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Defining Database Tools

• Database Tools are generally broken down into the
  major categories of
• Flat-File Database Tools
• Easy to create with familiar tools like MS Word
  or Excel.
• eXtendible Markup Language (XML) is an open
  source flat-file database.
• Small Database Tools
• Usually based on Stand-Alone applications like MS
  Access or File Maker Pro
• Small Database Tools are usually meant for less
  than 1000 concurrent users.
• Referred to as Client-Based, meaning they
  require a Database Application to use the native
  file format.
• Medium/Large Databases
• Requires Web Server Software
• Server-based databases must be scalable.
• Can be accessible through Server-Side Languages
  and the Web
• Enterprise Databases
• Usually based on Clustered Servers- More than
  one server working in tandem providing the same
  resources.
• Often uses 64bit computing power (Windows Sever
  2003 64bit, 64bit flavors of UNIX or Linux.
• Extremely costly- there are the backbone for
  massive e-commerce sites like Amazon.com or eBay

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Flat-File Databases

• Flat-File Databases are usually built around
  standard Office documents like MS Word or MS
  Excel.
• Any tabular document, in essence, is a flat file
  database.
• Your phonebook on your cellphone is a flat-file
  database
• They are not easily updated through the web are
  usually only used for display-only content (like
  product info).
• Flat-File Databases are used as a foundation for
  Small or Web-Based Database tools because they
  provide a more familiar environment for people
  unfamiliar with unconventional databases.
• HTML tabular data is another example of a
  Flat-File Database

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XML

• XML (eXtendible Markup Language) is an example of
  a flat-file language that is written very
  similarly to HTML/XHTML (its syntax provides the
  X in XHTML).
• XML can be created using ANY text editor, but is
  often created using Web Design tools like
  FrontPage or Dreamweaver.
• Can be used through the web and by tools like
  Flash.
• XML is a Well-Formed language, meaning that it
  is both case and tag-sensitive.
• XML is open source- many products are used to
  create it and no one owns it.
• XML is often used as an intermediate tool to help
  move data from one database tool to another.
• XML is not a practical database for many
  e-commerce sites because tools have to be
  customized for large-scale data entry
• XML should be your friend!

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Small/Client Database Tools

• Client Database Tools are Application Driven,
  meaning they require an application like MS
  Access or FileMaker Pro in order to open or
  create a database.
• Most Client Database Tools are meant for less
  than 1000 concurrent users, making them
  impractical for many e-commerce applications.
• These applications are also the first-tier of
  Relational Databases.
• Relational Databases can share information from
  other databases.

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Medium/Large Database Tools

• Most Medium/Large Database Tools require a web
  server like Apache or IIS in order to work.
• They can work without a Server Operating System
  (UNIX, Windows Server, etc.) but its not
  recommended.
• Client operating systems do not have the ability
  to support large numbers of concurrent users.
• MySQL and MS SQL Server are popular Medium/Large
  Database tools
• MySQL has over 80 of the Medium Size business
  market and has over 40 of the Large Size
  business market.

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MySQL Pros and Cons

• Pros
• Open Source for non-commercial use
• Vendor Supported for Commercial Use (MySQL AB)
• Free, cheap to develop
• Huge user base for small through enterprise size
  businesses.
• Widely taught in Computer Science programs in
  Higher Ed.
• Can be developed using a wide variety of
  platforms (Windows, UNIX, Linux, Mac, etc.)
• Works on IIS and Apache
• Many popular Web Interface tools like phpMyAdmin
  allow database administrators to update databases
  from anywhere
• Compatible with PHP, ColdFusion, and JSP pagers.

• Cons
• Vendor-Supported requires licensing (albeit minor
  in cost)
• Not compatible with ASP.NET or ASP
• Graphical User Interface tools (GUIs) like
  phpMyAdmin are often less user-friendly than
  tools like MS SQL Server

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MS SQL Server- Pros and Cons

• Pros
• Vendor Supported
• Widely used for medium/large size businesses.
• Can import virtually any of the other MS Database
  tools like Access, FoxPro, even Excel with no
  outside tools needed.
• Supports ASP.NET, ASP, and ColdFusion
• Can scale easily to MS SQL Server Enterprise
  Edition or SQL Server Cluster Edition
• GUI management tools are fairly easy to learn and
  use, especially if you are already familiar with
  Access and IIS
• Comes in 32bit and 64bit flavors
• Can be easily integrated with other MS tools like
  Exchange Server (for email)

• Cons
• Microsoft only platform
• Costly Licensing
• Training is often only found through
  Certification Vendors
• Certification is expensive and time-consuming
• Does not support PHP or JSP

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Enterprise Database Tools

• There are a few dozen enterprise-class database
  tools that in use today.
• Each tool has one specific advantage over another
• They all require a Server Operating System (UNIX,
  Windows Server, etc.)
• They can come in 32bit or 64bit flavors
• Most of the enterprise-class databases have
  support for a full-blown programming language
  like VB.NET, C or Java.
• They are extremely expensive, often starting at
  tens of thousands of dollars for a single
  license.
• Some of the more popular Enterprise Database
  tools are
• Oracle
• MS SQL Server Enterprise/Cluster Editions
• IBM DB Server
• Java Databases (Custom-Built)
• SAP (used largely for Customer Relationship
  Management)

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Oracle- Pros and Cons

• Pros
• Vendor Supported
• Written with Java
• Huge developer following- Oracle is the backbone
  for the largest number of enterprise level
  e-commerce sites.
• Developers Tools are Free
• Can import a wide array of databases (Access,
  MySQL, SQL Server, etc.)
• Can be scaled to serve ANY database need
• Java is used for customization
• Can be developed using a wide variety of
  platforms (Windows, UNIX, Linux, Mac, etc.)
• Object Oriented Scalability
• Supports JSP, ColdFusion and PHP
• Most Oracle developers are considered to be
  genius-level in intelligence

• Cons
• Extremely Expensive for Server Licensing (100K
  for starting level)
• Difficult to learn, most of the education is from
  Vendor Certification Training
• Doesnt support ASP.NET or ASP
• Did I mention that its difficult to learn? Well
  it is!
• Most Oracle developers are considered to be
  genius-level in intelligence

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IBM DB2- Pros and Cons

• Pros
• Vendor-Based
• Modular architecture
• Far cheaper than Oracle
• Widely used for large/enterprise size businesses
• Works with virtually any Server-Side Language
• Massive Object-Oriented Programming Scalability
• Java-Based Platform
• GUI is far easier to learn than other Enterprise
  DB tools
• Easier learning curve more productivity
• Now has a Freeware limited version available
• Supports the widest variety of external database
  formats
• Extremely well-documented
• IBM has the strongest client support record in
  the industry

• Cons
• Modular architecture is more expensive in the
  long run
• Code intensive (lots and lots of programming)
• Far more expensive for than other scalable tools
  like MySQL and SQL Server
• Requires many additional tools for certain
  functionality.