DATABASE SYSTEMS AND THE WEB - Database Design and Development: An Essential Guide for IT Professionals - page 612

Java Applets Java Script

Compiled on server
Separate - accessed from
HTML documents
Strong typing
Static binding
Object-oriented - with
classes and inheritance
No automatic write to
hard disk

Interpreted by client
Integrated and embedded
in HTML documents
Loose typing
Dynamic binding
Object-based - no classes
or inheritance
No automatic write to
hard disk

Code Generation
HTML integration

Data typing
Binding
Object technology

Updates

Figure 19-10 Java applets and JavaScript: comparison.

• Commit or abort and roll back a transaction according to the conditions.
• Display results of a query.
• Where necessary, access multimedia content from the database in the form of
BLOBs (binary large objects).
• Terminate connection from the database.

Database Tools

We have examined various techniques of integrating databases into the Web envi-
ronment. We covered different techniques for extending browser and server func-
tionalities to access databases on the Web. Let us now briefly consider a few
third-party tools that enable the creation of Web applications and linking them to
databases. Only a few tools work with any type of database systems. Some of them
are proprietary, geared toward specific DBMSs. Therefore, the tool you would want
to use depends on a few significant factors such as:

• The database you are using
• The platform where your Web server and database server are running
• The technique for database access—CGI or proprietary API
• Cost considerations
• Maturity of the tool
• Vendor stability

Now, let us selectively review a few tools without getting into details. The dis-
cussion is simply meant to pique your interest and prompt you to be open to the
possibility of using such tools in your database environment.

ColdFusion Created by Allaire, ColdFusion enables the writing of scripts within
an HTML document. ColdFusion executes the scripts and returns results within the
HTML document. The tool works with every Web server running on Windows NT
and interfaces with every SQL engine using ODBC.
Figure 19-11 presents the working of ColdFusion.