July 23, 2008

Understanding Database Normalization

An important part of designing a database is a process known as normalization.
Normalization refers to the activity of streamlining a database design by eliminating redundancies and repeated values. Most often, redundancies are eliminated by placing repeating groups of values into separate tables and linking them through foreign keys.

To begin, ensure that your MySQL server is running, and then connect to it with the mysql command-line client. Remember to send a valid password with your username, or else MySQL will reject your connection attempt. (boldface type is used to indicate commands that you should enter at the prompt.)

[user@host]# mysql -u root -p
Password: ******

July 18, 2008

SQL statements

SQL statements resemble spoken English and can broadly be classified into three categories: 

*Data Definition Language (DDL) DDL consists of statements that
define the structure and relationships of a database and its tables. Typically,
these statements are used to create, delete, and modify databases and tables;
specify field names and types; set indexes; and establish relationships
between tables.

*Data Manipulation Language (DML) DML statements are related to
altering and extracting data from a database. These statements are used
to add records to, and delete records from, a database; perform queries;
retrieve table records matching one or more user-specified criteria; and join
tables together using their common fields.

*Data Control Language (DCL) DCL statements are used to define
access levels and security privileges for a database. You would use these
statements to grant or deny user privileges, assign roles, change passwords,
view permissions, and create rulesets to protect access to data.

EXAMPLE

CREATE DATABASE addressbook;
DESCRIBE catalog;
SELECT title FROM books WHERE targetAge > 3;
DELETE FROM houses WHERE area < 100;

As the previous examples demonstrate, SQL syntax is close to spoken English,
which is why most novice programmers find it easy to learn and use. Every SQL
statement begins with an “action word” and ends with a semicolon. White space,
tabs, and carriage returns are ignored. This makes the following two commands
equivalent:

DELETE FROM houses WHERE monthlyRent > 25000;
DELETE FROM
      houses
WHERE monthlyRent >
25000;

July 12, 2008

Designing Websites

I have here some informations when you are about to design websites. I have learned this informations when I am 2nd year college thru my professors in college.

WHY A WEBSITE?
Reach Customers Quickly & Reliably
Establish a Presence in Cyberspace
Leverage Advertising Costs
Reduce Customer Service Cost
Promote Public Relations
Penetrate International Markets
Test-market New Products & Services

LIFE CYCLE OF SITE BUILDING
Plan the Site
Define Audience & Connection
Build Site Content
Define Site Structure
Create Visual Design

PLAN THE SITE
Define the Site’s Goals
Determine Who Will Be Involved
Understand the Time & Need Constraints
Ask Questions Deciding on Site’s Mission & Purpose for the Organization

PLANNING OBJECTIVES
Speed Up Interactive Process
Reduce Human Intervention to a Minimum
Save Time
Save Buying & Selling Costs

DEFINE AUDIENCE & COMEPETITION
Generate a List of Intended Audience
Identify What Prospective Customers Want

WEB DESIGN
Focus on Speed & Responsiveness
Create Scenarios & Test Cases
Select a Set of Users for Trial

COMPETITVE ANALYSIS
Make a List of Competitors
Evaluate Criteria:
Personalization
Consistency
Ease of Navigation

BUILD SITE CONTENT
Create Content Inventory
Determine Priority of Each Department
Analyze Feasibility of Each Function

DEFINE SITE STRUCTURE
Create Good Site Structure
Explore Various Metaphors
Define Architectural Blueprints
Decide User Navigation

VISUAL DESIGN
Use Layout Grid
Show icons, buttons, banners, etc.
Establish Look & Feel of Site via Page Mock-ups
Develop Web Personalization

WAYS TO BUILD A WEBSITE

Storefront Building Service
ISP (Web Hosting) Service
Do It Yourself

STOREFRONT BUILDING SERVICE

Offers Customized Online Store
Provide Web Address
Manage Web Traffic
Maintain Store on Web Servers
Drawbacks – Lack of Personalization

ISP SERVICES
Provide E-Commerce Software
Offer Well-Versed In-Store building Technology
Advantage – Good Customer Support

DO IT YOURSELF

Requires Experience
Security
Web Traffic Management
Responsive Support
Full-Time Web Administration
Benefits – Unlimited Upgrades & Customization

DESIGN CRITERIA
Appearance
Public Exposure
Consistency
Scalability
Security
Performance
Navigation & Interactivity

APPEARANCE
Is the Site Aesthetically Pleasing?
Conduct Quality Assurance
Check the readiness of a website
Examine how easy it passes under the stress of a Web production schedule
Use a Style Guide
Ensure consistency within the site

PUBLIC EXPOSURE
Site Availability
Networking & Technology Infrastructure
Network Administrators & Web Designers

CONSISTENCY
Will the Website & Contents Appear the Same on Visitors’ Screens?
Usage of HTML
Provide Choice of Browser

SCALABILITY
Does the Site Provide a Seamless Growth Path?
Capable of Being Expanded
Protection of Initial Investment

SECURITY
Protect from Hackers
Critical – Website Access
Knowledge of Developers

PERFORMANCE

How Long Does It Take for the Page to Appear?
Depend on Local Networking, Traffic Volume, Web Connection
45-second Timer

NAVIGATION & INTERACTIVITY
How a Visitor Gets from One Page to Another
Format Icons & Buttons
Give out Function Descriptions of Each Icon