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Shiny New MySQL - Current and forthcoming

MySQL version 4.0 has been suitable for production use since March 2003.  The previous version is no longer under development. In today's article we will be looking at the shiny new features that you have to play with in version 4.0. Allan doesn't just give you a big list of the changes with no explanation; he explains why the major changes will make your job easier, make you richer and more popular with members of the opposite sex.

Then Allan examines the proposed changes in MySQL 4.1 and 5.0

This article explains

• why MySQL 4 is an 'ACID' database
•  FULLTEXT searches
• SQL_CALC_FOUND_ROWS and FOUND_ROWS() functions
• Sub-queries
• The UNION statement
• how MySQL becomes faster
  

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The Right Index for the right Job

Along with database design, Indexes are the backbone of optimal database performance. It requires specialist knowledge to ensure that you have the right indexes for the right job and this article will provide you with enough knowledge to make the right choices - and to know when to use an index and when not.

We will also take a look at the different types of indexes that exist (clustered, non-clustered, covering indexes and indexing views), what each does and any restrictions on the use of that index.

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Preventing SQL Injection Hacks

How can you guard against hacks if you host with an ISP? What are the most common hacks? What is SQL Injection - and why is it even more damaging if you use SQL Server? How can you avoid paying $99 for the Macromedia PHP User Authentification Behavior, yet get the same level of security?

Allan points out that, even if you're not running a huge e-commerce site, there are still hackers who will simply hack into your site, deface it, and leave their mark, like a dog that needs to get neutered. By deliberately building a bad PHP log-in script, deconstructing it, then repairing it, this article shows you how to neuter the dog and protect your work. Read More

Creating a Custom Database Class

The DMX Server Behaviors make it easy for new users to connect to a database and perform various operations, without them having to know how to create the code themselves. However, they are general purpose as they have to work in a range of different situations. The code created is complex, inefficient, and makes it extremely difficult to perform a range of different database operations on a single page.

In this 11 page article, Gareth shows you how to create a custom Database class, which makes it easy to perform Database Operations from your own code, and which can be used to replace the Dreamweaver MX Server Behaviors. Read More

MySQL Security

Most people think about security as an afterthought - or not at all. Allan shows how to configure your MySQL database so that the hackers move on to softer targets - like those used by developers who don't read this article.

Allans tells you why, and shows you how to
1. Change the root password
2. Remove the anonymous users
3. Remove anonymous access to the test database
4. Disable TCP connections
5. Create secure users that only have rights within single databases Read More

MySQL Search

In this article we're going to be taking a look at how we can create a form to search for and filter records in our database. We'll cover what you need to know from populating a dropdown box with data from your database to filtering out just the info that you need. We'll look at some more advanced SQL and how we can let the user page through the results. Read More

Creating the Data Repository

In the first article we took a look at the issues that required investigation prior to upsizing your existing database solution to Microsoft’s premium database, SQL Server 2000.

Within this article we will take a look at installing SQL Server 2000 locally, creating a database andatable in preparation to working with the data within Dreamweaver. We look at the three most common tools that you, as a developer, will be using. Then we look at creating a database within SQL Server, and the differences between Access and SQL Server in this area. We take a look at a database and its associated transaction log, discuss how to set the file sizes to allow for normal growth, and finally we create a table ready for use to use within our Dreamweaver application.

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Move your database to SQL Server

This first article from renowned database guru Robin Dewson discusses how to move from Access (or other consumer database) to the enterprise-level database, SQL Server 2000 when you need concurrent accesses, proper security and speed. It's not only the structure of the data that you need to consider, but also the code used to access the data if you're going to take advantage of the scalability and power of SQL Server.

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