Database Reference
In-Depth Information
Introduction and Installation
I wish you a warm welcome to this topic! The goal of this irst chapter is to:
•
Know the position of this software product in the Web spectrum
•
Be aware of all its features
•
Become proficient at installing and configuring it
Introducing phpMyAdmin
This section describes the place of phpMyAdmin in the context of PHP/MySQL
web applications and summarizes its features.
Web applications
The Web has evolved! In the last few years, the Web has changed dramatically.
In its infancy, the Web was a medium used mainly to convey
static
information
("Look, my homepage is on the Web!"). Now, large parts of the Web carry
information that is
dynamically generated
by application programs, on which
enterprises, and even individuals, rely for their intranets and public websites.
Because of the clear benefits of databases—better accessibility and structuring of
information—web applications are mostly database driven. While the front end
used is usually a well- known (and quickly deployed) web browser, there is a
database system at the back end. Application programs provide the interface
between the browser and the database.
Those who are not operating a database-driven website, are not using the medium to
its fullest capability. Also, they could be lagging behind competitors who have made
the switch. So, it is not a question of whether we
should
implement a database driven
site, but rather about
when
and
how
to implement it.
