Database Decisions 

Those considering developing online databases sometimes feel faced with an impenetrable tangle of choices: to database or not to database? Which software to use? Do-it-yourself or hire a consultant? This section identifies key questions and offers suggestions about answering them. Examples of recommendations relating to specific sites can be found in the section on "Sites with database potential." 

• Should you have an online database at all?
• Should you do it yourselves or hire an outside developer?
• Should you host it on your own server?
• What software should you use?
• Are there any hardware considerations?

Should you have an online database at all?

How appropriate an online database will be for your needs depends on the nature and purpose of the database and on your resources. 

In all cases think of the cost effectiveness of developing a new web database or taking an existing one online. Even if your content/site lends itself readily to "being databased", it may not be worth spending the necessary time and (possibly) money on development. 

In all cases, two main areas need to be addressed:

• Is your content appropriate material for a database? 

• Does the potential value of a database approach outweigh the cost of development? For example:

• Do you have the necessary human, time, and financial resources to develop the database?   
• Is there - or is there likely to be - substantial demand for your content?
• Will a database make your site or resource significantly easier to maintain?
• Will a database substantially improve the usability of your site?

Next, think about questions relating to the particular type of project you are involved in: 

Should you use a database to develop and maintain a collaborative resource?

Database technology allows for the collaborative development of information resources in ways which have not been possible in the past. Online directories, catalogues, bibliographies, virtual art galleries can all be developed and maintained collectively through an online database. Contributors can submit materials via forms on the web, and need have no knowledge at all of web development or programming.

Bear in mind that technical issues may be the least of your concerns; soliciting and co-ordinating collaborative content is likely to prove a greater challenge. Among the issues to consider are how to ensure that contributors pull their weight (particularly if it's a voluntary effort); what criteria for quality/consistency to adopt and how to assure them and so forth.    

Should you put your existing database on the web?

• How much demand is there likely to be for the information contained in the database? For example, if you are constantly being asked to conduct searches of your database, it would probably be simpler for both you and your users if they could access it directly.
• Do you have information/materials which make a unique contribution to knowledge?
• Does the information in the database change frequently? Do your users need ready access to an updated version?

Should you use an online database to collect information? 

Data submitted via online forms can very often most effectively managed if it is written directly to a database - but this is not necessarily the most cost-effective solution if you don't have programming expertise in your organization. For example, in the case of a small-scale, one-off survey it's unlikely to be worth your while to contract an external developer and/or database hosting service. On the other hand, a large-scale survey or a constant flow of data submission which needs to be tracked could certainly warrant developing a database. Weigh the costs and labour hours of developing a database for automatic submission against those of capturing the data manually. 

If the case of online survey research, the most important issue is not whether responses to online questionnaires should be automatically written to a database, but whether the questionnaire should be online at all. The Yenza! section on using the Internet as a research medium offers links to resources on some of the possibilities and methodological issues.

Is a database driven site the best way for you to go?

• Is your site large, or expected to grow substantially? If your site is small, developing a database-driven system may not be worth the effort.  

• Does - or will - the information contained in the site change regularly? If the information is largely static there is little point in going for a database-driven system.

• Does your web site manager spend (waste) a lot of time putting information submitted by non-web developers online? A database-driven system will allow contributors to submit their own information using web-based forms.

• Are non-web developers frustrated by the delay in getting their information online? As above: a database-driven system will allow contributors to submit their own information using web-based forms.

Bear in mind that dynamically generated pages are not as a rule indexed by search engines. 

Should you do it yourselves or hire an outside developer?

In deciding whether to develop the web interface within yourself or to contract it out, consider what expertise you have within your organization:

• Do you already maintain your own web site? If not, you should probably look to an outside consultant.

• Are you familiar with a database package such as MS Access? Do you have a basic understanding of SQL? If not, you will need outside assistance to develop the database in the first instance, as well as to take it online.

• Do you already have programming skills in (for example) VBScript, Perl or Cold Fusion? Are you quick to pick up new programming languages? If not, consider whether the nature of the database/s and/or cost factors would make it more effective to acquire the skills yourself, or to contract someone else to do it.

• Do you have the time and/or interest to develop the database yourself (whether you already have the necessary skills or whether you need to acquire them)? If not, it may be better to hire an outside developer.

• Is the programming required on a one-off basis, or will you need ongoing work done on the database or set of databases? For example, if you want to capture the data from a single online questionnaire it's probably simplest to get an outside consultant to do the programming. If you have an ongoing series of questionnaires, consider developing the expertise within your organization. In general, unless you require regular work to be done on a web database or set of databases it is better to contract someone to do the programming for you.

Bear in mind that the fact that you can do it yourself (or could learn to) doesn't mean that this is the best use of your time. 

Should you host it on your own server?

If you have the necessary hardware and software and the co-operation of your web administrator, hosting the database within your organization may be a good option.

What software/method should you use?

There are two essential aspects to this question:

What database programme should you use?

Key issues are

• What database software (if any) is in use in your organization? 
• How large is the database?
• What volume of traffic to the database is expected?
• How sophisticated are your database requirements?

For most small- to medium-scale requirements MS Access - in use at most South African tertiary institutions - is adequate.

What should you use to take the database online?

If you intend to have your database developed and hosted outside your organization this is not something you need to give too much thought to. The need for a decision comes if you intend to develop and/or host the database yourself. 

If you are skilled in a programming language such as VB Script or Perl, consider ASP and CGI respectively. If you are familiar with HTML but not with any programming languages, Cold Fusion may be the best option - choose between Cold Fusion commercial (US$ 1200 upwards) and Express versions on the basis of your financial resources and the nature of your database.

See the sections on the methods and programmes concerned on the main Yenza! database page.

For large scale online data collection and publishing of survey results, Quancept Web by SPSS is an option:
http://www.spss.com/spssmr/products/web/qcwebinfo.htm

Are there any hardware considerations?

If you are developing a large-scale database or database-driven site and intend to host it yourself, consider whether you will need additional hardware and whether your network connection is adequate.