You may be asking yourself why you would need a database on your website. The answer to that question is another question, “Do you want ‘dynamic Web pages’ or ‘static Web pages’ on your Website?” That didn’t clear up anything, did it? To understand dynamic web pages you have to understand normal web pages. Typical static web pages do not change every time the page is loaded into the browser, nor do they change if a user clicks on a button. The only change that you will see in static pages is to see them load and unload, like what happens when you click on a hyperlink.

Dynamic pages do the opposite, they can change every time they are loaded (without you having to make those changes) and they can change their content based on what the user does or what his personal preferences are. Dynamic web pages can be generated if you have a database integrated into your website. This means that you have a web page that grabs information from a database and inserts that information into the web page each time it is loaded. If the information stored in the database changes, the web page connected to the database will also change accordingly and automatically without you having to actually redesign the web page.

An example of this is any website that will show you your account information on request (bank, library, school, etc) when you log-in (by entering your user name and password). Your account information is stored in a database and has been connected to the web page with programming thus enabling you to see your personal information. The information can be quickly and easily kept update by using a database. This is also an easy and effective way of keeping your product catalog up-to-date without having to redesign every page on your website with product information. If you have more questions, contact me with the Support Page.