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Intro

In this seminar, we will learn how to create a web-based database application using Microsoft Access and Active Server Pages (ASP). I will show you how to set up your database, upload it to a web server, and connect it using a system DSN. We will cover creating tables, displaying, adding, editing, and deleting records through dynamic web pages, and discuss passing data between pages with query strings and session variables. Highlights include building a full-featured online test-taking system, discussing basic JavaScript for user interaction, setting up user logins, handling web security, and sending email from your server.

Transcript

Welcome to the Web Database Seminar brought to you by computerlearningzone.com. I am your instructor, Richard Rost.

If you want to learn how to build an online database that can be used on the web, then this seminar is for you. We will build tables in a Microsoft Access Database and then use Active Server Pages to construct a live, dynamic website.

The example that we will use in class is a full-featured test-taking website where teachers can log on and create quizzes and tests for their students consisting of multiple-choice answers. The students can then log on, take the tests, and be graded. We actually developed this seminar while recording the development of our very own skills test system, where our students can log on and take tests for the online courses they've taken.

While you might not be developing this kind of database for your website, we will teach you all the fundamentals involved with setting up a web-based database. The major concepts are setting up a database on your web server, adding records, deleting records, and editing records in your database, and properly displaying information from your database in web pages. We will cover these concepts in detail throughout the seminar.

No matter what kind of online database you are planning to build, this seminar will give you all the fundamentals and information you need to get started. You can take this information and build everything from a customer management system to an online shopping cart. All the fundamental concepts of working with online databases are covered in the seminar.

We will begin by setting up our database using Microsoft Access. Now, you do not need to use Access for your database. You can use any database program that you like as long as it conforms to ODBC standards. If you want to use SQL Server or even Oracle Azure Database Server, that's fine too. I personally prefer using Access for low to mid-volume databases and it's the easiest to set up. It will be the database program that I will be using in the seminar.

Our database will consist of a few simple tables: one to store the names of the tests you want to give the students, another to store the questions, and a third to store the answers, multiple-choice of course. If you've taken any of my Microsoft Access courses, you'll find this part of the seminar a piece of cake. If not, I'll walk you through everything you need to know to get your Access database started.

Next, I will discuss how to upload your database to the web server. For my personal setup, I use Windows 2000 Server and I use PC Anywhere to connect to my server and upload the database. However, your setup may be different and that's fine. As long as you know how to set up the database on your server and you can figure out setting up the DSN or data source name, you'll be able to use the seminar.

If you have your website hosted for you by an outside internet service provider and they are supposed to give you database access and ASP support, then setting up the database is usually a service that they will provide for you. You just give them your database or they'll tell you where to put it and they'll set up a data source name for you. The only time you should actually set up a database yourself is if you run your own web server, usually at your own facility, or you have a server co-located for you somewhere else. You might actually have to go in and configure the DSN support yourself and again, I will show you how to do this step by step on my Windows 2000 Server. These steps are pretty much the same for Windows 2003 Server.

But if you don't have your own web server, and you're getting web hosting from someone else, your ISP will generally perform this step for you.

Note that this seminar is not for you if you do not have ASP on your server. If you are working with the programming language PHP, then this seminar is not for you. We will not be covering PHP code in this seminar. I have not tested the seminar code with the Linux operating system or the MySQL database, although if you have 100 percent support for ASP code, then you might be able to get it working, but I cannot make any guarantees for using Linux or MySQL.

To use the lessons in this seminar, I recommend you run Microsoft Windows Server, which uses genuine Active Server Pages technology.

After we learn how to display records from our database on the screen, we'll learn how to loop through the records in the table. We'll display all the records in our test table to show all the tests that are available in the database. This might sound easy, but it's actually quite an accomplishment for ASP code. Remember, there's no graphical editor to do this with. This is real programming, very similar to Visual Basic.

Next, we'll learn how to pass information between web pages using something called a query string. This allows us to send data from one page to another using the address bar URL. We'll learn how to store information in the memory of the web server itself. These are called session variables, and they're very handy for remembering temporary information, such as the current user's name or what test is being viewed. Data that doesn't necessarily have to be stored in a database can be remembered using the user's web session variables.

Of course, we'll learn how to gather information from the user in a web form. We'll be able to add tests, add questions, and add answers, and of course get information like a username and password to log onto our website. Once we know how to get user input into a form, we can add records to our database. We'll design forms to add tests, questions, and answers. Once we know how to add records, we'll, of course, have to be able to edit and delete those records. We'll create pages to edit and delete test names, questions, answers, and so on.

We'll even learn a little bit of JavaScript, which is a browser-based programming language. This will allow us to ask the user if they are sure they want to delete the record.

Of course, we'll talk about the security of your web pages, making sure that someone can't just hack into one of your ASP pages and start editing data. And so far, everything we've built is for the teacher or the administrator to add, edit, and delete questions and answers.

Next, we'll need to create the student's interface. We'll make a log-on screen for the students to capture their name and email address. Then we'll create the entire test-taking engine, allowing the user to pick a test, and we'll be quizzing each of the questions on that test. The student will get a progress report showing each question and can see what the correct answer is if they miss it. We'll even create a little certificate of completion.

We'll learn about the ASP Include Page command, which allows us to have reusable bits of code that will be included in different pages, such as the same header across each page. I'll show you some formatting with HTML tables.

And it's always nice to know when a user does something on your website. We'll teach you how to send email using the web server. This way, I'm notified anytime one of my students completes the test. You can also use this to contact the user directly from the web server. Being able to send email from the server is a very handy feature.

So this is a great seminar that covers all these topics in detail. If you've been looking to take the database and put it online so people can access your records, make changes, and collaborate, this is the perfect starter seminar. You can use this information to go on and create a customer database, a product or inventory website, an online shopping cart, and the list goes on. Once you know how to add, edit, and delete records in a database online, the sky is really the limit.

Prerequisites:

HTML 101 is strongly recommended. You should know how to edit basic HTML. I also recommend our ASP 101 course. This will teach you what ASP is, how it works, how the server processes it, and how to do some basic things like displaying information on the screen. Again, I will cover all this information in the seminar, but having these under your belt before taking the seminar is helpful, but not required.

I also recommend our Access 101. This will teach you how to create Access tables and databases. Even more helpful, Access 102 through 201. This will teach you how to get Access under your belt, how to make forms and reports and things that we're not going to really use in today's seminar. We do cover relationships and relational tables in Access 201. It's very helpful stuff if you plan on making any kind of offline databases.

Visual Basic 101 is helpful. Although we're not going to be working with the Visual Basic program in the seminar, it is very helpful if you know how to use Visual Basic because ASP code is a lot like Visual Basic. I'm not saying you have to go out and buy Visual Basic. You don't need the program, but if you're going to be working with ASP, it helps to know a little VB.

Finally, if you are using Microsoft Front Page as your webpage editor, Front Page 101 and 102 are very helpful as well. Again, you can use any webpage editor that you want. You don't have to use Front Page, but if you are going to use Front Page, I recommend my Front Page 101 and 102 classes.

You will need Microsoft Access or any database program compatible with ODBC standards (open database connectivity). I strongly recommend Microsoft Access for all of my students. It's great if you have a low-volume or even a medium-volume database. If you have a high-volume database, you may want to consider moving up to SQL Server.

Again, you will need Microsoft Front Page or any webpage editor that can edit basic HTML. You do not need Front Page, but again, I recommend it.

You will need web hosting with active server pages support. If your website is hosted on a Windows Server, Windows 2000, or Windows 2003, you should have ASP support, and I will show you in one of the upcoming lessons how to test and make sure that you do.

You will need the ability to create a connection to your database on your web server, specifically a system DSN or data source name. This is a service your ISP may provide for you. Again, if your web server is hosted by another company, they should be able to do this step for you. If you have your own web server in-house, I will show you how to do this using Windows 2000.

In the videos, I will be using Microsoft Access XP 2002, Windows 2000 Server, Active Server Pages 3.0, Microsoft Front Page XP, and basic HTML.

And once again, yes, you may use a different database server such as SQL Server or even Oracle, as long as you know how to create a system DSN to your database. If your ISP can do this for you or if you have a tech person in-house that knows how to set this up, that's great. Again, I'm not going to cover the steps for using SQL Server or Oracle in this web seminar.

How to learn:

I strongly recommend you sit back, relax, and watch the video one time through. Then go back and watch the lessons a second time, following along with my examples. I do recommend you try setting up the sample website that I am building in class. Don't try to apply what you're learning immediately to your own web server. Don't go right off and start building a web page. I recommend you go through and do the sample lessons that I am doing in class. That's the best way to get the most out of the seminar.

Then once you've built my sample web server, my sample website, go ahead and start your own project. I guarantee you that if you try doing something on your own after a lesson, say lesson 6, by the time lesson 21 comes around, you're going to say, oh, I wish I would have known that before. So wait until you're finished watching all the videos before you start your own project.

There is a class website for this seminar at www.computerlearningzone.com/seminars/webdatabase. You can find the outline, additional notes, and other information on this class website. If you need help with anything covered in this seminar, feel free to contact us at www.computerlearningzone.com/contact.

Quiz

Q1. What is the primary goal of the Web Database Seminar presented in the video?
A. To teach how to set up templates for static web pages
B. To build an online database with Microsoft Access and Active Server Pages
C. To create PHP-based content management systems
D. To design mobile applications for Android

Q2. What example application is developed throughout the seminar?
A. An inventory management system
B. A test-taking website for teachers and students
C. A blog publishing platform
D. An online photo gallery

Q3. Which technology is used to connect the web application to the database in the seminar?
A. ODBC (Open Database Connectivity)
B. JDBC (Java Database Connectivity)
C. REST APIs
D. SOAP web services

Q4. Which of the following is NOT a main concept covered in the seminar?
A. Adding records to a web database
B. Editing and deleting database records
C. Displaying data on web pages
D. Building mobile apps for iOS

Q5. If you are using a different database server (such as SQL Server or Oracle), what is the requirement for using it in this seminar?
A. The database must be installed on a Linux server
B. It must be ODBC compliant and you should know how to set up a DSN
C. Only Microsoft Access is allowed
D. It must support PHP scripting

Q6. What are session variables primarily used for in ASP as discussed in the seminar?
A. To encrypt all user data before saving
B. To remember temporary information during a web session
C. To permanently store user passwords and names
D. To create static HTML pages

Q7. Why is prior knowledge of Visual Basic mentioned as helpful for this seminar?
A. ASP code is similar to Visual Basic
B. You must build a desktop application as part of the seminar
C. The seminar requires programming in C++
D. All server administration is done in VB

Q8. According to the seminar, what should you do BEFORE starting to build your own project after watching a lesson?
A. Immediately start your personal project after each lesson
B. Wait until you have completed all seminar lessons and built the sample website
C. Ignore the sample project and create your own website
D. Only read the reference material

Q9. What is one important prerequisite strongly recommended before taking this seminar?
A. Knowing how to use Photoshop
B. HTML 101 for understanding basic HTML editing
C. Proficiency in JavaScript frameworks like React
D. Advanced networking certification

Q10. What is the purpose of using the ASP Include Page command as discussed in the seminar?
A. To insert JavaScript for client-side validation
B. To reuse pieces of code like headers across multiple pages
C. To compress images on the fly
D. To encrypt all server-side traffic

Q11. What security concern is specifically mentioned regarding editing data in ASP pages?
A. Preventing unauthorized hacking and editing of data in ASP pages
B. Virus scanning uploaded image files
C. Blocking email spam from the website
D. Securing payments via third-party gateways

Q12. Which one of the following statements is true about using Microsoft Front Page in this seminar?
A. Front Page is mandatory for editing web pages in this seminar
B. Any web page editor that can edit HTML can be used
C. Only command line editing is allowed
D. Visual Studio Code is the only supported editor

Q13. What function does sending email from the web server accomplish in the example applications?
A. Automatically registering users for online courses
B. Notifying the instructor when a student completes a test
C. Sending promotional discounts to users
D. Resetting user passwords automatically

Q14. For those whose web server is hosted by another company, what is typically provided by the hosting provider in regard to databases?
A. You must install your own database engine and configure it manually
B. The provider usually sets up the database and DSN for you
C. Only static web hosting is available
D. They do not allow any databases on the server

Q15. What component is NOT listed as necessary to complete the lessons in this seminar?
A. Microsoft Access or any ODBC compliant database system
B. A web host with Active Server Pages (ASP) support
C. Ability to create a system DSN (data source name) on your server
D. A dedicated Linux server with PHP and MySQL

Answers: 1-B; 2-B; 3-A; 4-D; 5-B; 6-B; 7-A; 8-B; 9-B; 10-B; 11-A; 12-B; 13-B; 14-B; 15-D

DISCLAIMER: Quiz questions are AI generated. If you find any that are wrong, don't make sense, or aren't related to the video topic at hand, then please post a comment and let me know. Thanks.

Summary

Today's video from the Web Database Seminar at Computer Learning Zone is designed to teach you how to create a fully functional online database accessible through the web. My name is Richard Rost, and I will be guiding you through the entire process of setting up an Access Database, building ASP-driven web pages, and turning your data into a dynamic, interactive website.

Throughout this seminar, I will show you how to construct tables in Microsoft Access and then use Active Server Pages (ASP) to develop a live web application. For our example project, we'll build a test-taking website where teachers can log in and create quizzes made up of multiple-choice questions. Students will be able to log in, take these assessments, have their answers graded, and get instant feedback. The system we develop in this seminar was modeled after our own internal skills testing system that our students use for online course evaluations.

Even if your online database has a different purpose, all the essential foundations are the same. You'll learn how to set up a database on your web server, insert, delete, and update records, and properly display your information in web pages. These concepts are at the core of any web-based database solution and will be covered in detail.

Regardless of whether you are interested in building a customer management application, an online store, or any other type of web database, this seminar will give you the starting knowledge you need. The skills you learn here are applicable to a wide variety of projects.

We will begin the process by creating our database in Microsoft Access. While I prefer Access for getting started and for low to medium-volume sites, you are welcome to use any ODBC-compliant database system, such as SQL Server or Oracle, if you are comfortable with it. Everything demonstrated in the seminar will use Access to keep things simple.

The sample database will have a few core tables: one for storing test titles, another for questions, and a third for possible answers. Anyone who has taken my Microsoft Access courses will find table creation straightforward, but I will take the time to walk newcomers through the entire setup.

After covering table creation, I will explain how to upload your database to your web server. My demo environment uses Windows 2000 Server, and I make use of a remote connection tool to place the database file onto the server. Your setup may differ, but as long as you know how to get your file onto your host and set up a Data Source Name (DSN), you'll be able to follow along. If your site is hosted through an outside service provider and they offer database and ASP support, usually they will set up the database connection for you. Setting up the DSN yourself is mainly necessary if you have your own server or manage one directly, and I'll show you the steps for doing this in Windows 2000 Server, which are nearly identical for Windows 2003 Server.

If your host provides ASP and handles these details for you, you won't need to perform this part yourself.

It is important to note that this seminar focuses exclusively on Microsoft ASP. If your server uses PHP, Linux, or MySQL, this seminar is not a fit. The code and methods discussed are intended for Windows servers running ASP. If your system has full ASP support, you may be able to adapt the lessons, but I cannot guarantee it will work on Linux or MySQL.

I recommend using Microsoft Windows Server with authentic Active Server Pages support for the best experience with this seminar.

As we progress, I will cover how to display records from your database in your web pages. This includes looping through records in the test table and displaying all available tests. This is an important step in ASP development because there is no graphical user interface for this task; the process is much like programming in Visual Basic.

A key concept we'll address is transferring information between web pages using query strings, which pass data from one page to another via the URL. We will also work with session variables to store temporary information on the web server, like the current user's identity or the test they are taking. These variables are useful for keeping track of details that do not need to be saved in the main database.

We'll cover gathering input from users through web forms. You'll learn how to allow users to add new tests, questions, answers, and account details like usernames and passwords for logging in. Once you can collect data, I'll show you step by step how to insert, edit, and delete records in your database, ensuring you have full control over your data.

We will also touch on a bit of JavaScript to confirm user decisions, such as asking someone if they're sure before deleting a record.

Security is a crucial topic as well. You'll learn how to protect your web pages to stop unauthorized access or tampering with your database. Up to this point, our tools are intended for teachers and administrators to manage their quizzes and questions.

For the students, we'll develop a separate interface. This includes a log-on form to capture the student's name and email address, and the entire logic for test-taking. Students will be able to select from available quizzes, answer the questions, view their progress, and see correct answers when mistakes are made. At the end of a test, students can receive a certificate of completion.

We will also discuss using the ASP Include command for code reuse, such as having the same site header on every page. Some simple HTML formatting with tables will be used to improve the presentation.

Another feature is the ability to send email from the web server. For example, you can receive a notification whenever someone completes a test, or contact users directly. This adds a lot of value to your web applications.

This seminar provides all the tools you need to set up your own web database and gives you a solid foundation for more complex projects like customer databases, online inventories, shopping carts, and much more. Once you know how to create, read, update, and delete records over the web, you'll be able to develop all sorts of online solutions.

In terms of prerequisites, having completed HTML 101 is very helpful. You should at least be able to edit basic HTML. My ASP 101 course is also recommended, which covers the fundamentals of how ASP works. I will go through the important information in this seminar, but having prior knowledge will help you move more quickly.

My Access 101 course, and even the more advanced Access 102 through 201 courses, are useful for understanding table creation, database relationships, and other essential skills. While we won't be working on advanced forms or reports here, some experience with Access will definitely be beneficial.

Although we will not be writing Visual Basic programs, if you have taken Visual Basic 101, you'll find ASP programming more familiar, since the syntax is very similar. You do not need to have Visual Basic installed, but background knowledge is useful.

For those who use Microsoft Front Page, my Front Page 101 and 102 courses can help you get the most out of that software. Any HTML editor will work for building your web pages; Front Page is just my preference.

The required tools for following along are Microsoft Access (or any ODBC compliant database program), and a website with ASP hosting. If your server runs Windows 2000 or 2003, you should have the necessary support. I will demonstrate how to verify ASP support in the lessons. You or your ISP will also need to create a DSN to connect your web server to your database. Many web hosts will do this for you, but if you manage your own system, I will walk you through it.

For demonstration purposes, I use Microsoft Access XP 2002, Windows 2000 Server, Active Server Pages 3.0, Microsoft Front Page XP, and basic HTML in my videos. If you wish to use a different database backend like SQL Server or Oracle, that's completely fine as long as you know how to set up the DSN. Just note that this seminar does not cover setup for those alternate platforms.

My recommendation for learning is to watch the seminar all the way through once for a general overview. Then, go back and follow along with the specific lessons, building the sample website exactly as I do. Try not to focus immediately on building your own customized project until you have finished the sample site shown in the seminar. If you leap ahead and try applying new concepts too soon, you might miss important lessons that come up later in the series.

When you're ready to get started with your own project, you'll be able to do so with a solid understanding of the entire process from start to finish.

A class website for this seminar is available at www.computerlearningzone.com/seminars/webdatabase, where you can view the outline, extra notes, and additional resources. If you need any help or have questions about topics covered here, you can contact us at www.computerlearningzone.com/contact.

You can find a complete video tutorial with step-by-step instructions on everything discussed here on my website at the link below. Live long and prosper, my friends.

Topic List

Building tables in Microsoft Access for web use
Setting up a web-based database on a server
Uploading an Access database to a Windows server
Configuring DSN (data source name) connections for ASP
Displaying database records in web pages using ASP
Looping through database records with ASP
Passing data between web pages with query strings
Using session variables to store temporary user data
Collecting user input with web forms in ASP
Adding records to the database from web forms
Editing and deleting database records through ASP
Using JavaScript for delete confirmation dialogs
Implementing web page security for ASP pages
Creating a teacher administrator interface
Designing a student log-on screen with ASP
Building a dynamic test-taking engine
Displaying test questions and recording answers
Generating test progress reports and feedback
Issuing certificates of completion via the website
Reusing code with ASP Include Pages
Formatting web pages using HTML tables
Sending email notifications from the web server using ASP