We discuss and plan our database projects with our clients in meticulous detail. Upgrade paths are always left open should a database outgrow its original specification. We believe firmly that our clients should receive a cost-effective solution that gets results.

Choosing the right database for your web site
Small to medium-sized databases are frequently developed in Microsoft Access, particularly where site traffic is expected to be relatively light. MS Access usually provides an effective low-cost solution. For the larger databases, more complex applications, or to allow for heavy site traffic, we usually recommend the use of MS SQL Server. Should your business outstrip the capabilities of Microsoft Access, there is an upgrade to MS SQL available – making your choice of database flexible, and ensuring that we keep costs in proportion to your needs.

Modern alternatives
Traditional database software is not always the best solution to holding large volumes of structured text. A comparatively recent development with practical application to the web is the eXtensible Markup Language, XML. XML is modelled on SGML (Standard Generalised Markup Language) – of which astutech has experience dating back to its development in the 1980's.

Brochure data for one major client is held in XML master files from which the HTML web pages are generated. It is now a quick and inexpensive process to re-generate this web site content – several thousand HTML pages – in a new style or with new features within a matter of hours.