-24-

The Development of a PC-Based WWW Database System

In recent months, developers have witnessed an explosion of new Web-related technologies hitting the commercial marketplace as well as being offered freely at numerous Websites. This is especially true in the world of low-cost (or freely available) Web servers, databases, and Web-database gateway software for desktop/personal computers. It now is quite possible to develop a fully functional Website, complete with database applications, on a desktop computer in a matter of hours or days--and often with only a small financial investment.

This chapter presents and describes in detail such a system: The Omniscient Technologies Corporate Employee, Project, and Job Opportunity Web Database System. This system was designed, developed, and tested (including the creation and population of a database) in about one man-day's time. This was accomplished in spite of a lack of in-depth knowledge of the tools and components being used. How is this possible? By taking advantage of increasingly sophisticated features, such as application development wizards typical of the many PC-based tools and software packages, and by using WWW-database gateway software--preprogrammed CGI applications that effectively extend the functionality of HTML and abstract the complexity of much of the actual database access.

Application Overview

The system described in this chapter is part of an information system for a small software development and technical services firm. It originally was conceived as the basis for a corporate intranet, but it provides information of interest to external visitors as well and easily could be extended to provide additional capabilities to a wide variety of external users. This project was undertaken to demonstrate the feasibility of designing and developing a low-cost, PC-based Web database while still providing a high level of functionality, capabilities, and growth potential.

Primary System Requirements

The primary requirements for the initial proof-of-feasibility system were these:

The applications developed initially were intended for internal (intranet) use, but there is no reason why access could not be extended to external users as well.

Informational Queries Supported

Figure 24.1 shows the Omniscient Technologies Information Database home page. You can see that the current system supports the following types of informational queries:

FIGURE 24.1. The Omniscient Technologies Information Database home page.

Benefits of the System

As discussed in Chapters 1, "The Internet, World Wide Web, and Intranets," and 2, "Doing Business on the Web," there are several benefits to developing organizational intranets for internal information sharing and Internet applications for use by external users. Databases can play a large role in these systems. Here are a number of potential benefits of the Omniscient Technologies Information database:

System Components Used

The following hardware and software components were used to create the database system:

Figure 24.2 illustrates the testbed used to create and test the PC-based WWW database system.

FIGURE 24.2.The testbed for the PC-based WWW database system.

Microsoft Access 95 Access 95 is a Microsoft relational database product for Windows 95 and NT. It's available as part of the Office Suite of products or separately. Access provides a strong suite of querying capabilities and easily can be programmed by using Visual Basic. Additionally, Access provides OLE and ODBC support, enabling links to spreadsheets, documents, and other databases.

RESOURCE: You can find a wealth of information about Microsoft Access on the Access home page and its links: 
http://www.microsoft.com/msaccess

This site includes case studies, developer information, specifications, and links for downloading free Access add-ins.

O'Reilly WebSite Professional WebSite Professional is a fully functional yet inexpensive Web server product available from O'Reilly & Associates. It comes with a fully functional Web server, complete with graphical setup and administration tools. It also comes with an HTML editor and an enhanced version of the Mosaic Web browser. The server is Windows CGI-compliant, supports CGI scripting and server API programming using Visual Basic (as well as Perl and Java), includes Cold Fusion database connection gateway software, and fully supports the use of security features such as SSL SHTTP and digitally signed certificates. The software runs under Windows 95 and NT.

RESOURCE: You can find additional information about the WebSite product at the O'Reilly home page: 
http://www.ora.com/

This site enables you to download a free evaluation copy of the standard WebSite product, as well as the first three chapters of the WebSite documentation and the Windows-CGI specification. After it is downloaded, the server can be installed and operational in a matter of minutes.

CSDC DBGateway DBGateway is a freely available WWW-database gateway software product developed by Computer Systems Development Corporation. Its functionality and use are discussed in detail in subsequent sections.

What Is DBGateway?

DBGateway is a freely available database gateway application that provides access to Microsoft Access and FoxPro databases via Web-based applications such as HTML and ActiveX-enabled forms. A gateway is a specialized CGI application that abstracts the details of interaction between a Web server and an application--in this case, a database application. It was developed by Computer Systems Development Corporation in response to the needs of one of its clients. The gateway itself is a 32-bit Visual Basic Windows CGI application that uses and expands on the CGI32.BAS framework introduced in Chapter 18, "The Common Gateway Interface (CGI)." It is an excellent illustration of how powerful Web database systems can be developed by using Visual Basic.

The gateway software runs on the host personal computer, which also serves as a Web server. All database interactions are handled directly between the gateway and the database; no ODBC server is required. Also, the gateway is designed so that the databases being accessed are external to the gateway. This means that databases can be added, removed, or modified without affecting the gateway.

Because the software is a critical component of the system detailed in this chapter, the following sections provide sufficient details about the product for you to understand the code and examples presented later in this chapter.

RESOURCE: Additional information, including instructions on downloading, installing, and using DBGateway is included on the CD-ROM with this book. This information also is freely available at the DBGateway home page at 
http://dbgate.csdc.com/



Why Use DBGateway?


Earlier in this chapter, you looked at a few of the requirements imposed on this
development effort. DBGateway provided a means of using a proven and freely available
tool. Additionally, it met the criteria of minimizing the programming effort required
to implement the system. Given the capabilities of the product to meet my database
interface needs, I was able to forego development of custom CGI programs. Instead,
all I had to do was use my knowledge of HTML, ActiveX, VBScript, and SQL.


Here are some of the reasons why you might want to consider using DBGateway:





Gateway Requirements


To develop applications using DBGateway, your system must meet the following requirements:





Architecture of
a Gateway Application


Figure 24.3 shows the general architecture of a PC-based Web database system using
DBGateway.



FIGURE
24.3. A PC-based WWW database system
using DBGateway.


Note that access to remote databases, such as Oracle, Sybase, and Microsoft SQL
Server, also could be provided via an Access database by establishing ODBC links
between a locally resident Access data source and the remote database. For details
on establishing an ODBC link, consult your Microsoft Access software documentation.

Data Flow in a DBGateway
Application


The following sequence of steps details the flow of data in an application using
DBGateway:



	
1. The Web server sends a Web client browser an HTML form that includes
	special statements, hidden variables, HTML extensions, and embedded SQL elements
	required by the DBGateway application.

	

	2. The user makes entries to the HTML form and submits it to the Web server.

	

	3. The Web server invokes the DBGateway application and passes it the encoded
	form information necessary to assemble a database query.

	

	4. DBGateway decodes the information passed to it, creates a query, connects
	to the database, and submits the query.

	

	

	5. When a response is ready, DBGateway retrieves the data returned from the database
	and formats a response to the user employing the format specified in an HTML report
	template (.rpt) file or in default tabular form if no report template is
	specified.

	

	6. DBGateway returns an HTML response to the Web server, which subsequently passes
	it on to the Web client to be rendered by the browser.




Figure 24.4 illustrates this data flow and shows the various files that come into
play.



FIGURE
24.4. Data flow in a DBGateway application.

Files Used in a
DBGateway Application


Table 24.1 lists the five basic file types used in applications that employ the
DBGateway product. 



Table 24.1. File Types Used in Applications that Use DBGateway.



	

		File Type
		Description
	

	

		DBGate.exe
		The gateway executable program that resides in the appropriate cgi-win directory
			for the Web server in use.
	

	

		Dbgate.ini
		Resides in the Web server cgi-win directory and contains information about
			paths to dbgate executables, the root directory (DBDATAROOT) for
			databases to be accessed, image and icon files to be used, and SMTP host and port
			details.
	

	

		Report templates
		Specify how the results of a database query are to be formatted in the HTML document
			returned to a Web client. These files are given an .rpt extension and reside
			in an rpts subdirectory for the respective database.
	

	

		SQL files
		Specify server-side SQL queries. They are given a .sql extension and reside
			in a sql subdirectory for the respective database.
	

	

		YourDBName.ini
		One of these files must accompany each database to be accessed. This file contains
			database access-control information.
	







Figure 24.5 shows the file system layout for my system and application.



FIGURE
24.5.The layout of directories and files on the testbed system for
the Omniscient Technologies Database application.



DBGateway Functionality




To be useful and functional parts of a Web database application, gateway products
must provide at least basic database query and results-reporting capabilities. The
DBGateway product actually provides multiple methods for performing database queries
from your HTML forms as well as a strong report-generation capability. DBGateway
also provides additional functionality in the form of SMTP mail support and the capability
to access secure databases. This section explores DBGateway's functionality in greater
detail. HTML Embedded SQL Queries DBGateway provides three methods for submitting
queries to your database:





This chapter deals only with embedded SQL queries, because they provide the flexibility
required for the sample application, and internal queries are not supported on the
freeware version I used for these examples. More information on the latter two methods
is available in your DBGateway software documentation. Comprehensive examples showing
the use of embedded SQL queries are included in later sections of this chapter.


The HTML Embedded SQL Queries method entails the use of HTML <FORM>
elements to formulate a desired query that subsequently will be passed to the database
being used. Most of the elements used to create a query are HTML hidden <FORM>
elements; however, it is possible and quite advantageous to use <FORM>
input elements and ActiveX controls as well. This enables you to design highly interactive
applications that incorporate user-specified input into the query to be passed to
the database.


Because DBGateway uses an enumerated name-designation scheme, elements in the
form used to create a SQL query can be split up into different parts of the form.
The only restriction is that the design must be such that when DBGateway concatenates
the parts of the query (it does so in sequential order), a valid query is formed.
In general, these elements are case- sensitive and white-space sensitive.


Although DBGateway provides support for performing queries, record additions,
record editing, and record deletions, I only cover queries in this chapter. You can
find additional information for record operations in the DBGateway software documentation.
The following parameters always are mandatory and almost always are specified as
HTML hidden form elements: 


	

		ACTION
		Valid value is "SubmitExternalQuery"
	

	

		DBNAME
		Valid value is "your-string-here"
	

	

		DBPATH
		Valid value is "your-string-here"
	

	

		DBTYPE
		Valid values are "ACCESS" or "FoxPro 2.6"
	

	

		DBACTION
		Valid values are "Query", "Show", "AddDBRecord",
			"DeleteDBRecord", or "EditDBRecord"
	

	

		QUERYNAME
		Valid value is "your-string-here"
	





When the value of DBACTION is "Query" or "Show",
the following SQL parameters also are mandatory: FIELDSn = "comma-delimited
field names from your database tables"FROMn = "comma-delimited
table names from your database" The n subscript indicates that portions of the
query can be distributed across more than a single parameter. You could embed FROM0,
FROM1, and FROM2 statements in a program, for example, as long
as the resultant SQL query is valid when DBGateway concatenates these parameters.


Finally, when the value of DBACTION is "Query" or
"Show", the following SQL parameters are optional:




	

		GROUPBYn =
		"comma-delimited field names from your database tables"
	

	

		HAVINGn =
		"any valid SQL condition"
	

	

		MAXREC =
		"an integer > STARTREC"
	

	

		ORDERBYn =
		"comma-delimited field names from your database tables"
	

	

		REPORTNAME =
		"the name of a report template file (without the .rpt extension)"
	

	

		STARTREC =
		"an integer > 0"
	

	

		WHEREn =
		"any valid SQL Join condition"
	







If you are familiar with SQL and HTML forms, you're probably starting to see the
potential for easily developing some fairly powerful queries. Several examples using
this embedded SQL method are included in later sections of this chapter.


On a final note, you also might have noticed that in the preceding parameters,
no explicit SELECT statement is used. DBGateway includes this statement
for you when it formulates the SQL query to pass to the database. Database Reports
The preceding section presented a number of the parameters that can be embedded in
your HTML to enable SQL queries to be formulated. But what about the data that the
database returns from the query? DBGateway handles this in one of two ways. First,
if no report format is explicitly specified, DBGateway presents the returned data
in a native tabular format. This is a nice feature for prototyping queries. It enables
you to fully test a query without having to also worry about formatting the data.


After you can get the query working properly, you can worry about making the output
look nice. How do you accomplish this? The second way that DBGateway handles presentation
of output is through the use of report template files. The optional REPORTNAME
parameter from the preceding section enables you to specify how the field data being
specified in the initial query should be formatted for presentation.


Properly written report templates enable returned field data to be formatted in
virtually any way that any content of a regular HTML file would be formatted. This
means that returned data can be written as free text and have its font and color
attributes modified. Additionally, the returned data can be placed into HTML <FORM>
input objects such as textboxes, TEXTAREA objects, and scrollable lists,
as well as associated with checkboxes and radio buttons. You even could use ActiveX
controls. Not only does this enable you to construct very nice data presentations
for your users, but it enables you to design applications that cascade queries. In
other words, the results of one query are used to give the user choices in a subsequent
query, and so on, which enables you to develop extremely powerful applications.


How do these report templates work? DBGateway defines a few tags that extend the
functionality of HTML. They are best described by examples, several of which are
included in the final sections of this chapter. They're briefly described here for
reference. <FIELD> Tag The <FIELD> tag has a single
attribute: NAME. The value of the NAME attribute should be a valid
field being returned from the previously specified query--for example <FIELD
NAME="LastName">. <FIELD> tags are replaced with
their corresponding values for every record returned from the database. If a field
in the response set is not specified by a <FIELD> tag, it will not
be included in the presentation to the user. Additionally, <FIELD>
tags that have no correspondence to data being returned are not parsed out; this
might confuse some Web browsers, so be aware. <REPORTHEADER> Tags
The report header tag pair is composed of the <REPORTHEADER> and </REPORTHEADER>
tags. Any <FIELD> tags that occur in this container pair will be assigned
the contents of the first record of data returned. <GROUPHEADER> Tags
The group header tag pair is composed of the <GROUPHEADER> and </GROUPHEADER>
tags. These tags also have a NAME attribute--for example, <GROUPHEADER
NAME="group1">. <RECORDHEADER> Tags The record header
tag pair is composed of the <RECORDHEADER> and </RECORDHEADER>
tags. HTML specified between these tags can be used to enhance the presentation of
the returned data. These tags also have a NAME attribute. <RECORD>
Tags The record tag pair is composed of the <RECORD> and </RECORD>
tags. These tags typically are used to encapsulate <FIELD> tags, which
subsequently are replaced with the data records returned from a query. See the examples
in the section "The Omniscient Technologies PC-Based Web Database Application,"
later in this chapter, for specific usage of the record tags. <RECORDFOOTER>
Tags The record footer tag pair is composed of the <RECORDFOOTER>
and </RECORDFOOTER> tags. These tags also have a NAME attribute.
<GROUPFOOTER> Tags The group footer tag pair is composed of the <GROUPFOOTER>
and </GROUPFOOTER> tags. These tags also have a NAME attribute.
<REPORTFOOTER> Tags The report footer tag pair is composed of the
<REPORTFOOTER> and </REPORTFOOTER> tags. Any <FIELD>
tags that occur in this container pair will be assigned the contents of the last
record of data returned. Additional Functionality DBGateway also provides support
for accessing secured databases, as well as using SMTP mail from your application
(via Microsoft's ActiveX SMTP control). More information and examples that use these
features are available in the DBGateway software documentation.



	



NOTE: To use the SMTP ActiveX control, you must
	have installed the Microsoft ActiveX Internet Control Pack. The control pack is available
	on the Microsoft Website and includes ActiveX controls for SMTP, FTP, UDP, and HTTP.
	The Microsoft site can be accessed at http://www.rsa.com/

	









Setting Up the Omnitech Access
Database




This section presents an overview of the Omnitech database used in this
application. First, you'll step through the process of creating a database and tables
using Access and then establishing table relations. Next, you'll look at a listing
and a brief explanation of the tables that make up the database. After you see how
tables can be created and related, you'll look at the full table relations structure
for the Omnitech database.



Creating a Database and Tables
in Microsoft Access




The following step-by-step instructions should provide you with the basic understanding
required to build databases and tables using the graphical tools and wizards in Microsoft
Access. This example uses Microsoft Access for Windows 95 (Version 7.00).



	



NOTE: Access provides a wealth of additional
	tools for creating and modifying databases and tables, as well as specifying relations,
	setting key values, adding fields, and designating data types. Consult Access's online
	help and Answer Wizard tools for additional information. 







To build databases and tables using the graphical tools and wizards in Microsoft
Access, follow these steps:



	
1. Start Access. The dialog box shown in Figure 24.6 appears.




FIGURE
24.6. Creating a new Access database.



	
2. In the Create a New Database Using group box, select Blank Database
	and then click OK. Access presents the dialog box in Figure 24.7 and prompts you
	to name the new database.




FIGURE
24.7. Naming the new database.



	
3. Type the desired name and click Create. Access then creates a new database
	with the given name, and the dialog box shown in Figure 24.8 appears.




FIGURE
24.8. Creating a new table.



	
4. Select the Tables tab and click New. The dialog box shown in Figure
	24.9 then appears.




FIGURE
24.9. Using the Table Wizard.



	
5. Access provides a convenient tool called a Table Wizard for rapidly
	creating tables in a database. Select Table Wizard from the list and click OK. The
	Table Wizard dialog box shown in Figure 24.10 appears.




FIGURE
24.10. Specifying fields for the new table
using the Table Wizard.



	
6. The Table Wizard dialog box presents a list of sample tables. Selecting
	Employees from the Sample Tables listbox causes corresponding sample fields to be
	listed. You can select any or all of the fields required for your application. Fields
	you've selected are shown in the Fields in my new table listbox. You can modify the
	names of the selected fields by clicking the field to highlight it; Access then prompts
	you for a new/modified name for the field. The selections in Figure 24.10 illustrate
	a minimal Employees table with only three fields: EmployeeID, FirstName,
	and LastName. After you select all the fields you want, click Next.

	

	7. The Table Wizard then prompts you to name the table you've just defined and
	also gives you the option of defining a primary key or letting the wizard do the
	job for you. Figure 24.11 shows that the table is named Employees and that
	you chose to let the wizard assign the key. Note that Access enables you to change
	these settings later. Click Next to proceed.

	

	8. You now have the opportunity to specify how you want to populate the new table
	with data. Figure 24.12 shows that you chose to enter data directly into the table
	after it is created. Click Finish to create the table.




FIGURE
24.11. Specifying the table name and setting
the primary key.



FIGURE
24.12. Specifying how to populate the
new table.



	
9. Access now gives you the opportunity to enter data directly into the
	table, as shown in Figure 24.13. Note that, because Employee ID is the key
	field, Access automatically assigns a unique number for each record. Key-field assignments
	and data types for any field can be changed later as desired or required to ensure
	referential integrity for related tables. At this point, you can continue to enter
	data or exit the table by clicking the X in the upper-right corner. Windows NT users
	can exit the table by double-clicking the Control box in the upper-left corner of
	the table window.




FIGURE
24.13. Populating the new
table.



	
10. Note that Access provides other methods for populating tables. In
	Figure 24.12, you can see that you are given the option of having the wizard create
	an input form for you. Alternatively, Access provides a Form Wizard and other tools
	for creating your own customized input forms. You access this capability by selecting
	the Forms tab and clicking New. The resultant Form Wizard shown in Figure 24.14 steps
	you through the details of setting up a form. Refer to Access's online documentation
	for further details.

	

	11. By following steps 1 through 10, you created another table named Emp_Address.
	Figure 24.15 illustrates that, during the creation of this second table, the wizard
	automatically recognized a relationship to the previously created Employees
	table. By clicking Next at this point, you are able to continue with populating this
	newly created table 

	as before.

	

	12. You now can view the relationship between the Employees and Emp_Address
	tables by choosing Tools|Relationships. Figure 24.16 illustrates the resulting table
	relations diagram.




FIGURE
24.14. Invoking the Form Wizard.



FIGURE
24.15. Table relations determined by the
Table Wizard.



FIGURE
24.16. The table relations diagram.



	
13. After all required tables are created, you can edit relationships
	as necessary by right-clicking on a link in the relationship diagram, choosing Relationships
	from the pull-down menu, and choosing Edit Relationships.




Details of how relations for tables of a given application vary for each application.
Refer to Access's online help documentation for additional details regarding keys,
referential integrity, and setting relations to determine how you can further specify
these for your application.



Omnitech Database Tables




Table 24.2 lists the tables that make up the Omnitech database. These
were designed to support the initial informational requirements of the proof-of-feasibility
system; however, care was taken to make the design extensible and to easily enable
the addition of new tables and fields as dictated by future needs and requirements.




Table 24.2. The Omnitech DatabaseConsists ofThese Initial Tables.



	

		Table
		Description
	

	

		Degree
		Provides a translation between degree IDs and a degree name (for example, Ph.D.).
	

	

		Discipline
		Provides a translation between discipline IDs and a discipline name (for example,
			Computer Science).
	

	

		Emp_Education
		Composed of fields that uniquely identify all the degrees and corresponding disciplines
			(by IDs) held by each employee.
	

	

		Emp_Personnel
		Composed of fields that contain information of a more personal nature, such as Social
			Security number, home address, and salary. This information was placed in a separate
			table for additional security and to enable users to link this table to remote data
			sources (via ODBC) in the future.
	

	

		Emp_Proj
		Composed of fields that identify all projects (by ID) in which an employee is involved.
	

	

		Emp_Skill
		Composed of fields that uniquely identify all the skills (by ID) held by each employee.
	

	

		Employees
		Composed of fields containing basic employee information, such as name, office location,
			title, and phone number.
	

	

		Positions
		Provides a listing of all open positions in the company. Information includes the
			parent project, position name, description, location, and a point of contact.
	

	

		Programs
		Provides a unique listing of all corporate programs (by unique ID) and includes information
			such as associated program name, description, and manager.
	

	

		Projects
		Provides a translation between project IDs and a project name. Also includes project
			details such as the parent program, project manager, and project description.
	

	

		Skill
		Provides a translation between skill IDs and a skill name.
	







All these tables were created and populated using the steps outlined in the section
"Creating a Database and Tables in Microsoft Access," earlier in this chapter.
Figure 24.17 shows the relationship diagram for this database.



FIGURE
24.17. The table relationship diagram
for the Omnitech database.



The Omniscient Technologies PC-Based
Web Database Application




Now that you've reviewed the appropriate background material and created the database,
it's finally time to take a comprehensive look at the entire application. The remainder
of this chapter presents complete code listings associated with each of the main
applications that can be invoked from the Omniscient Technologies Database home page
shown in Figure 24.18.


Note that the code listings and the database presented, both of which are on the
accompanying CD-ROM, comprise a fully functioning Web database system that you can
modify for your own use or requirements. You simply need to make sure that your Web
server is Windows CGI-compliant and that you've properly installed and tested the
DBGateway software.



FIGURE
24.18. The Omniscient Technologies Information
Database home page.



An Overview of the Home Page










The Omniscient Technologies Information Database home page and subsequent pages
presented to the user provide an easy-to-use, interactive, graphical interface that
enables users to submit queries to the database with a few mouse clicks. Here's a
quick review of the types of queries this proof-of-feasibility system was designed
to support:





These queries currently are accessible only by internal users; however, because
much of the information available would be of interest to external visitors as well,
there would be great benefit in making this application externally accessible. This
is a simple matter for the resident system administrator or Webmaster. It also would
be easy to extend this application and database to support queries for information
on previous proposals, employee résumés, client information, additional
project information, and so on. It's up to the site administrator to ensure that
proprietary or sensitive information is not made available to the public.



Application Details




This section presents code listings, explanations, and screen shots for each of
the applications that can be invoked from the home page. Figure 24.19 illustrates
the structure and hierarchy of the applications to be covered.



FIGURE
24.19.The Omniscient Technologies Information Database application
structure and hierarchy of report templates.


.ini Files Your application requires two .ini files: the Dbgate.ini
file modified for your environment and the Omnitech.ini file that specifies
access information for the Omnitech Access database. Listing 24.1 shows
the contents of the DBGate.ini file, and Listing 24.2 shows the contents
of the Omnitech.ini file.


Listing 24.1. The DBGate.ini
file.


DBGATENAME=/cgi-win/dbgate.exe
DBGATEPATH=D:\WebSite\cgi-win\
DBGATELOGO=/images/smglobe.gif
DBGATEICON=/icons/smglobe.gif
DBDATAROOT=D:\My Databases\
SMTPHOST=
SMTPPORT=



Listing 24.2. The Omnitech.ini
file.


DBName=Omniscient Technologies Information Database
DBAName=Drew Kittel
Status=Online
PublicAccess=1
InternalQueryAllowed=0
RecordAddAllowed=1
RecordDeleteAllowed=0
RecordEditAllowed=0
TabularReportAllowed=1
DBAccessBeep=1
WaveName=d:\Program Files\DBGateway\sounds\uho.wav



The Home Page The Omnitech.htm file provides the HTML necessary to generate
the home page shown in Figure 24.18. Listing 24.3 shows the HTML content of the Omnitech.htm
file.


Listing 24.3. The Omnitech.htm
file.


<!  -- Omniscient Technologies Database Main Page -->

<html>
<head>
<title>Omniscient Technologies Information Database</title>
</head>

<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<img src="Globe1.gif" align="middle" hspace="10" width="90" height="90">
<font color="#222FFF" size="6" face="Impact"> <strong>W</strong></font>
<font color="#222FFF" size="5" face="Impact">
<strong>elcome to</strong></font>
<font color="#222FFF" size="6" face="Impact"> <strong> O</strong></font>
<font color="#222FFF" size="5" face="Impact"> 
<strong>mniscient</strong></font>
<font color="#222FFF" size="6" face="Impact"> <strong> T</strong></font>
<font color="#222FFF" size="5" face="Impact">
<strong>echnologies</strong></font>

<hr>

<p align="center"><font face="Arial">
<strong>Please take the opportunity to get to know Omniscient
Technologies, our employees and capabilities. This system allows
you to browse our Corporate Employee, Project and Job Opportunity
Databases and perform searches and queries according to criteria
you specify.
</strong></font></p>

<div align="center">

<table border="4" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#D2ECEE">
<tr>
<th colspan="4">
<font color="#0000FF" size="4" face="Arial">
<strong>Employee Skills/Education</strong> </font>
</th>
</tr>

<tr>
<td align="center">
<form action="/cgi-win/dbgate.exe" method="POST">
<input type="hidden" name="ACTION" value="SubmitExternalQuery">
<input type="hidden" name="DBNAME" value="Omnitech">
<input type="hidden" name="DBTYPE" value="ACCESS">
<input type="hidden" name="DBPATH" value>
<input type="hidden" name="QUERYNAME" value="Omnitech">
<input type="hidden" name="DBACTION" value="Query">
<input type="hidden" name="FIELDS0" value="DegreeID, DegreeName">
<input type="hidden" name="FROM0" value="Degree">
<input type="hidden" name="ORDERBY0" value="DegreeID ASC">
<input type="hidden" name="REPORTNAME"  value="OMNIEMPBYDEGREE">
<input type="image" name="" src="d1b1.gif" align="bottom"
Âwidth="150" height="50">
</form>
</td>
<td align="center">
<form action="/cgi-win/dbgate.exe" method="POST">
<input type="hidden" name="ACTION" value="SubmitExternalQuery">
<input type="hidden" name="DBNAME" value="Omnitech">
<input type="hidden" name="DBTYPE" value="ACCESS">
<input type="hidden" name="DBPATH" value>
<input type="hidden" name="QUERYNAME" value="Omnitech">
<input type="hidden" name="DBACTION" value="Query">
<input type="hidden" name="FIELDS0" value="SkillID, SkillName">
<input type="hidden" name="FROM0" value="Skill">
<input type="hidden" name="ORDERBY0" value="SkillName ASC">
<input type="hidden" name="REPORTNAME" value="OMNIEMPBYSKILL">
<input type="image" name="" src="d1b2.gif" align="bottom"
Âwidth="150" height="50">
</form>
</td>
<td align="center">
<form action="/cgi-win/dbgate.exe" method="POST">
<input type="hidden" name="ACTION" value="SubmitExternalQuery">
<input type="hidden" name="DBNAME" value="Omnitech">
<input type="hidden" name="DBTYPE" value="ACCESS">
<input type="hidden" name="DBPATH" value>
<input type="hidden" name="QUERYNAME" value="Omnitech">
<input type="hidden" name="DBACTION" value="Query">
<input type="hidden" name="FIELDS0" value="EmployeeID, LastName, FirstName">
<input type="hidden" name="FROM0" value="Employees">
<input type="hidden" name="ORDERBY0" value="LastName">
<input type="hidden" name="REPORTNAME" value="OMNIDEGREEBYEMP">
<input type="image" name="" src="d1b3.gif" align="bottom"
Âwidth="150" height="50">
</form>
</td>
<td align="center">
<form action="/cgi-win/dbgate.exe" method="POST">
<input type="hidden" name="ACTION" value="SubmitExternalQuery">
<input type="hidden" name="DBNAME" value="Omnitech">
<input type="hidden" name="DBTYPE" value="ACCESS">
<input type="hidden" name="DBPATH" value>
<input type="hidden" name="QUERYNAME" value="Omnitech">
<input type="hidden" name="DBACTION" value="Query">
<input type="hidden" name="FIELDS0" value="EmployeeID, LastName, FirstName">
<input type="hidden" name="FROM0" value="Employees">
<input type="hidden" name="ORDERBY0" value="LastName">
<input type="hidden" name="REPORTNAME" value="OMNISKILLBYEMP">
<input type="image" name="" src="d1b4.gif" align="bottom"
Âwidth="150" height="50">
</form>
</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<th colspan="4"><font color="#0000FF" size="4"
face="Arial"><strong>Project Information</strong></font></th>
</tr>

<tr>
<td align="center" colspan="4">
<form action="/cgi-win/dbgate.exe" method="POST">
<input type="hidden" name="ACTION" value="SubmitExternalQuery">
<input type="hidden" name="DBNAME" value="Omnitech">
<input type="hidden" name="DBTYPE" value="ACCESS">
<input type="hidden" name="DBPATH" value>
<input type="hidden" name="QUERYNAME" value="Omnitech">
<input type="hidden" name="DBACTION" value="Query">
<input type="hidden" name="FIELDS0" value="*">
<input type="hidden" name="FROM0" value="Projects">
<input type="hidden" name="ORDERBY0" value="ProjectID DESC">
<input type="hidden" name="REPORTNAME" value="OMNIPROJECTS">
<input type="image" name="" src="p1b1.gif" align="bottom"
Âwidth="150" height="50">
</form>
</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<th colspan="4"><font color="#0000FF" size="4" face="Arial"><strong>
Job Openings at Omniscient</strong></font></th>
</tr>

<tr>
<td align="center" colspan="4">
<form action="/cgi-win/dbgate.exe" method="POST">
<input type="hidden" name="ACTION" value="SubmitExternalQuery">
<input type="hidden" name="DBNAME" value="Omnitech">
<input type="hidden" name="DBTYPE" value="ACCESS">
<input type="hidden" name="DBPATH" value>
<input type="hidden" name="QUERYNAME" value="Omnitech">
<input type="hidden" name="DBACTION" value="Query">
<input type="hidden" name="FIELDS0" value="*">
<input type="hidden" name="FROM0" value="Positions">
<input type="hidden" name="ORDERBY0" value="PostDate ASC">
<input type="hidden" name="REPORTNAME" value="OMNIJOBS">
<input type="image" name="" src="j1b1.gif" align="bottom"
Âwidth="150" height="50">
</form>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div>

<hr>
</body>
</html>



The main purpose of this page is to associate queries and report templates with
each of the top-level query applications that can be invoked. The next several sections
detail how the gateway formulates these queries, passes these to the database, and
subsequently uses report templates to present results to the user. Get Employees
by Degree The following code from Omnitech.htm (in Listing 24.3) indicates
that the dbgate program will send the Omnitech database an external
query after the user clicks the Image button (d1b1.gif):


<form action="/cgi-win/dbgate.exe" method="POST">
<input type="hidden" name="ACTION" value="SubmitExternalQuery">
<input type="hidden" name="DBNAME" value="Omnitech">
<input type="hidden" name="DBTYPE" value="ACCESS">
<input type="hidden" name="DBPATH" value>
<input type="hidden" name="QUERYNAME" value="Omnitech">
<input type="hidden" name="DBACTION" value="Query">
<input type="hidden" name="FIELDS0" value="DegreeID, DegreeName">
<input type="hidden" name="FROM0" value="Degree">
<input type="hidden" name="ORDERBY0" value="DegreeID ASC">
<input type="hidden" name="REPORTNAME"  value="OMNIEMPBYDEGREE">
<input type="image" name="" src="d1b1.gif" align="bottom"
Âwidth="150" height="50">
</form>



Recall from Chapter 11 that an image can be used in the same way the Submit form
input type is used. After the user clicks the image, the following SQL query is generated
by the gateway and submitted to the database:


SELECT DegreeID, DegreeName
FROM Degree
ORDERBY DegreeID ASC



After the database returns the results to the gateway, the gateway uses specifications
in the OMNIEMPBYDEGREE.RPT file to determine how this data will be formatted
and presented to the user. Listing 24.4 shows the code for this report template.


Listing 24.4. The OMNIEMPBYDEGREE.RPT
file.


<!-- OMNIEMPBYDEGREE.RPT -->

<REPORTHEADER>

<HEAD>
<TITLE>Omniscient Technologies Employee Info</TITLE>
</HEAD>

<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<img src="/Globe1.gif" align="middle" hspace="10" width="90"
height="90">
<font color="#222FFF" size="5" face="Impact">
<strong>Omniscient Technologies Employee Info</strong></font>

<HR>
<P>
<FORM METHOD="POST" ACTION="/cgi-win/dbgate.exe">
<INPUT type=hidden name="ACTION" value="SubmitExternalQuery">
<INPUT type=hidden name="DBNAME" value="Omnitech">
<INPUT type=hidden name="DBTYPE" value="ACCESS">
<INPUT type=hidden name="DBPATH" value="">
<INPUT type=hidden name="QUERYNAME" value="Employees">
<INPUT type=hidden name="DBACTION" value="Query">
<INPUT type=hidden name="FIELDS0" value="LastName, FirstName, Title,
ÂOfficeLocation, DegreeName, DisciplineName">
<INPUT type=hidden name="FROM0" value="Employees, Emp_Education, Degree,
ÂDiscipline">
<INPUT type=hidden name="WHERE0" value="'Employees.EmployeeID =
ÂEmp_Education.EmployeeID and Emp_Education.DegreeID =
ÂDegree.DegreeID and Emp_Education.DisciplineID =
ÂDiscipline.DisciplineID and `">
<INPUT type=hidden name="WHERE1" value="Degree.DegreeID = ">
<EM>Please Select a Degree From the Following List</EM><BR>
<STRONG>Degrees Held By Omniscient Employees</STRONG><BR>
<SELECT NAME="WHERE2" SIZE="8">
</REPORTHEADER>

<GROUPHEADER NAME="">
</GROUPHEADER>
<RECORDHEADER NAME="">
</RECORDHEADER>
<RECORD>
<OPTION VALUE=" <FIELD NAME="DegreeID"> " ><FIELD NAME="DegreeName"></OPTION>
</RECORD>
<RECORDFOOTER NAME="">
</RECORDFOOTER>

<GROUPFOOTER NAME="">
</GROUPFOOTER>
<REPORTFOOTER>
</SELECT>

<P>
<EM>Click Here to List Employees With Selected Degree</EM><BR>

<INPUT type=hidden name="REPORTNAME" value="OMNIEMPWITHDEGREE">
<INPUT type=submit name="Submit" value="Submit Query">
</P>

<HR>
<P>
<A HREF="/Omnitech.htm"><img src="/Home.gif">Return to Omniscient Main Page</A>
</P>
</FORM>

</BODY>
</HTML>
</REPORTFOOTER>



Figure 24.20 shows the formatted results.



FIGURE
24.20. Query results formatted by the
OMNIEMPBYDEGREE report template.


You should note a few things about the use of this report template. First, it
sets up a secondary query to the database--in this case, a fairly complex join across
four tables (Employees, Emp_Education, Degree, and Discipline).
Next, it uses results from the initial query to create a selection list on the results
page. The report template is set up so that a user selection from this list is used
to complete the secondary query. After the user makes a selection and clicks the
Submit button, the following query is passed to the database:


SELECT LastName, FirstName, Title, OfficeLocation, DegreeName, DisciplineName
FROM Employees, Emp_Education, Degree, Discipline
WHERE `Employees.EmployeeID = Emp_Education.EmployeeID
Âand Emp_Education.DegreeID = Degree.DegreeID and
ÂEmp_Education.DisciplineID = Discipline.DisciplineID
Âand Degree.DegreeID = "user-specified DegreeID"



Finally, OMNIEMPWITHDEGREE is specified as the report template to format
results from the secondary query. Listing 24.5 shows the code for this secondary
report template.


Listing 24.5. The OMNIEMPWITHDEGREE.RPT
file.


<!--OMNIEMPWITHDEGREE.RPT -->

<REPORTHEADER>
<HEAD>
<TITLEOmniscient Employees With Specific Degrees</TITLE>
</HEAD>

<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<img src="/Globe1.gif" align="middle" hspace="10" width="90" height="90">
<font color="#222FFF" size="4" face="Impact">
<strong>Omniscient Technologies Employees With Specific Degrees</strong></font>

<HR>

<CENTER>
<TABLE CELLPADDING="4" BORDER="1">
<TR>
<TH ALIGN=CENTER>NAME</TH>
<TH ALIGN=CENTER>TITLE</TH>
<TH ALIGN=CENTER>OFFICE</TH>
<TH ALIGN=CENTER>DEGREE</TH>
</REPORTHEADER>

<GROUPHEADER NAME="">
</GROUPHEADER>

<RECORDHEADER NAME="">
<TR>
</RECORDHEADER>

<RECORD>
<TD><FIELD NAME="FirstName"> <FIELD NAME="LastName"></TD>
<TD><FIELD NAME="Title"></TD>
<TD><FIELD NAME="OfficeLocation"></TD>
<TD><FIELD NAME="DegreeName"> in <FIELD NAME="DisciplineName"></TD>
</RECORD>

<RECORDFOOTER NAME="">
</TR>
</RECORDFOOTER>

<GROUPFOOTER NAME="">
</GROUPFOOTER>

<REPORTFOOTER>
</TABLE>
</CENTER>

<HR>
<P>
<A HREF="/Omnitech.htm"><img src="/Home.gif">Return to Omniscient Main Page</A>
</P>


</BODY>
</HTML>
</REPORTFOOTER>



Figure 24.21 shows the formatted results.



FIGURE
24.21.Query results formatted by the OMNIEMPWITHDEGREE
report template.


Get Employees by Skill After the d1b2.gif button in the Omnitech.htm
code in Listing 24.3 is clicked, the following SQL query is generated by the gateway
and submitted to the database:


SELECT SkillID, SkillName
FROM Skill
ORDERBY SkillName ASC



After the database returns the results to the gateway, the gateway uses specifications
in the OMNIEMPBYSKILL.RPT file to determine how this data will be formatted
and presented to the user.


Figure 24.22 shows the formatted results.



FIGURE
24.22.Query results formatted by the OMNIEMPBYSKILL report
template.


After the user makes a selection and clicks the Submit button, the following query
is passed to the database:


SELECT LastName, FirstName, Title, OfficeLocation, SkillName
FROM Employees, Emp_Skill, Skill
WHERE Employees.EmployeeID = Emp_Skill.EmployeeID and
ÂEmp_Skill.SkillID = Skill.SkillID and
ÂSkill.SkillID = "user-specified SkillID"



Additionally, OMNIEMPWITHSKILL is specified as the report template to
format results from the secondary query. Listing 24.6 presents the contents of this
report template and illustrates how results of a query can be formatted and returned
to the user as an HTML table.


Listing 24.6. The OMNIEMPWITHSKILL.RPT
file.


<!--OMNIEMPWITHSKILL.RPT -->

<REPORTHEADER>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>Omniscient Technologies Employees With Specific Skill</TITLE>
</HEAD>

<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<img src="/Globe1.gif" align="middle" hspace="10" width="90" height="90">
<font color="#222FFF" size="5" face="Impact">
<strong>Omniscient Employees With Specific Skill</strong></font>

<HR>

<CENTER>
<STRONG>The following Omniscient Employees possess skills and 

experience in/using </STRONG>
<FONT SIZE=+2 COLOR="2222ff"> "<FIELD NAME="SkillName">" </FONT>

<TABLE CELLPADDING="4" BORDER="1">
<TR>
<TH ALIGN=CENTER>NAME</TH>
<TH ALIGN=CENTER>TITLE</TH>
<TH ALIGN=CENTER>OFFICE</TH>
</REPORTHEADER>

<GROUPHEADER NAME="">
</GROUPHEADER>

<RECORDHEADER NAME="">
<TR>
</RECORDHEADER>

<RECORD>
<TD><FIELD NAME="FirstName"> <FIELD NAME="LastName"></TD>
<TD><FIELD NAME="Title"></TD>
<TD><FIELD NAME="OfficeLocation"></TD>
</RECORD>

<RECORDFOOTER NAME="">
</TR>
</RECORDFOOTER>

<GROUPFOOTER NAME="">
</GROUPFOOTER>

<REPORTFOOTER>
</TABLE>
</CENTER>

<P>
<HR>
<P>
<A HREF="/Omnitech.htm"><img src="/Home.gif">Return to Omniscient Main Page</A>
</P>

</BODY>
</HTML>
</REPORTFOOTER>



Figure 24.23 shows the formatted results.



FIGURE
24.23.Query results formatted by the OMNIEMPWITHSKILL report
template.


Get Degrees by Employee After the d1b3.gif button in the Omnitech.htm
code in Listing 24.3 is clicked, the following SQL query is generated by the gateway
and submitted to the database:


SELECT EmployeeID, LastName, FirstName
FROM Employees
ORDERBY LastName



After the database returns the results to the gateway, the gateway uses specifications
in the OMNIDEGREEBYEMP.RPT file to determine how this data will be formatted
and presented to the user.


Figure 24.24 shows the formatted results.


After the user makes a selection and clicks the Submit button, the following query
is passed to the database:


SELECT LastName, FirstName, Title, OfficeLocation, DegreeName, DisciplineName
FROM Employees, Emp_Education, Degree, Discipline
WHERE Employees.EmployeeID = Emp_Education.EmployeeID and
ÂEmp_Education.DegreeID = Degree.DegreeID and
ÂEmp_Education.DisciplineID = Discipline.DisciplineID and
ÂEmployees.EmployeeID = "user-specified EmployeeID"



Additionally, OMNIEMPEDUC is specified as the report template to format
results from the secondary query. Figure 24.25 shows the formatted results.



FIGURE
24.24. Query results formatted by the
OMNIDEGREEBYEMP report template.



FIGURE
24.25. Query results formatted by the
OMNIEMPEDUC report template.


Get Skills by Employee After the d1b4.gif button in the Omnitech.htm
code in Listing 24.3 is clicked, the following SQL query is generated by the gateway
and submitted to the database:


SELECT EmployeeID, LastName, FirstName
FROM Employees
ORDERBY LastName



After the database returns the results to the gateway, the gateway uses specifications
in the OMNISKILLBYEMP.RPT file to determine how the data will be formatted
and presented to the user.


Figure 24.26 shows the formatted results.



FIGURE
24.26. Query results formatted by the
OMNISKILLBYEMP report template.


After the user makes a selection and clicks the Submit button, the following query
is passed to the database:


SELECT LastName, FirstName, Title, OfficeLocation, SkillName
FROM Employees, Emp_Skill, Skill
WHERE = `Employees.EmployeeID = Emp_Skill.EmployeeID and
ÂEmp_Skill.SkillID = Skill.SkillID and
ÂEmployees.EmployeeID = "user-specified EmployeeID"



Additionally, OMNIEMPSKILL is specified as the report template to format
results from the secondary query. Figure 24.27 shows the formatted results. Get Project
Information After the p1b1.gif button in the Omnitech.htm code
in Listing 24.3 is clicked, the following SQL query is generated by the gateway and
submitted to the database:


SELECT *
FROM Projects
ORDERBY ProjectID DESC



FIGURE
24.27. Query results formatted by the
OMNIEMPSKILL report template.


After the database returns the results to the gateway, the gateway uses specifications
in the OMNIPROJECTS.RPT file to determine how this data will be formatted
and presented to the user.


Figure 24.28 shows the formatted results.



FIGURE
24.28. Query results formatted by the
OMNIPROJECTS report template.


After the user makes a selection and clicks the Submit button, the following query
is passed to the database:


<INPUT type=hidden name="FIELDS0" value="Projects.*, ProgramName">
SELECT Projects.*, ProgramName
FROM Projects, Programs
WHERE `Projects.ProgramID = Programs.ProgramID and
ÂProjects.ProjectID = "user-specified ProjectID"



Additionally, OMNIPROJECTREPORT is specified as the report template to
format results from the secondary query. Figure 24.29 shows the formatted results.



FIGURE
24.29. Query results formatted
by the OMNIPROJECTREPORT report template.


Job Opportunities at Omniscient Technologies After the j1b1.gif button
in the Omnitech.htm code in Listing 24.3 is clicked, the following SQL query
is generated by the gateway and submitted to the database:


SELECT *
FROM Positions
ORDERBY PostDate ASC



After the database returns the results to the gateway, the gateway uses specifications
in the OMNIJOBS.RPT file to determine how this data will be formatted and
presented to the user.


Figure 24.30 shows the formatted results.



FIGURE
24.30. Query results formatted
by the OMNIJOBS report template.


After the user makes a selection and clicks the Submit button, the following query
is passed to the database:


<INPUT type=hidden name="FIELDS0" value="Projects.*, ProgramName">
SELECT Projects.*, ProgramName
FROM Projects, Programs
WHERE `Projects.ProgramID = Programs.ProgramID and
ÂProjects.ProjectID = "user-specified ProjectID"



Additionally, OMNIJOBREPORT is specified as the report template to format
results from the secondary query. Listing 24.7 presents this report template and
illustrates how results of a query can be formatted and returned to the user as a
scrollable HTML <TEXTAREA> object. Such use of <TEXTAREA>
objects to present textual data can be very important if you are making documents
available that consist of several pages, such as project and program descriptions,
proposals, and so on.


Listing 24.7. The OMNIJOBREPORT.RPT
file.


<!-- OMNIPROJECTREPORT.RPT -->

<REPORTHEADER>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>Omniscient Technologies Job Opportunity Information</TITLE>
</HEAD>

<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<img src="/Globe1.gif" align="middle" hspace="10" width="90" height="90">
<font color="#222FFF" size="5" face="Impact">
<strong>Omniscient Technologies Career Opportunities</strong></font>
<HR>

</REPORTHEADER>

<GROUPHEADER NAME="">
<STRONG>Position/Title: <EM><FIELD

NAME="PositionName"></EM></STRONG><BR>
<STRONG>Project Name: <EM><FIELD NAME="ProjectName"></EM></STRONG><BR>
<STRONG>Location: <EM><FIELD NAME="PositionLocation"></EM></STRONG><BR>
<STRONG>Open Date: <EM><FIELD NAME="PostDate"></EM></STRONG> <BR>
<STRONG>Close Date: <EM><FIELD NAME="ClosingDate"></EM></STRONG><BR>
<STRONG>Contact: <EM><FIELD NAME="ContactName"> at <FIELD

NAME="ContactEmail"></EM></STRONG><BR>
<FORM>
</GROUPHEADER>

<RECORDHEADER NAME="">
<P>
<EM>Position Description:</EM><BR>
</P>
</RECORDHEADER>

<RECORD>
<TEXTAREA ROWS="8" COLS="65"><FIELD

NAME="PositionDescription"></TEXTAREA>
</RECORD>

<RECORDFOOTER>
</RECORDFOOTER>

<GROUPFOOTER NAME="">
</FORM>
</GROUPFOOTER>

<REPORTFOOTER>

<HR>
<P>
<A HREF="/Omnitech.htm"><img src="/Home.gif">Return to Omniscient Main Page</A>

</BODY>
</HTML>
</REPORTFOOTER>



Figure 24.31 shows the formatted results.



FIGURE
24.31. Query results formatted
by the OMNIJOBREPORT report template.


What We Haven't Shown You DBGateway also provides the capability to add, delete,
and modify records. The previous examples easily could be extended to incorporate
additional <FORM> input objects, such as text-input boxes, which would
allow privileged users to retrieve and modify employee records, update program information,
and add entries for new projects and job opportunities. Secure transactions for such
a system could be provided through the use of SSL, SHTTP, and authentication technologies
such as public key encryption, certificates, and digital signing--all of which are
supported by professional-quality Web servers such as WebSite Professional.



	



RESOURCE: To find out more about technologies
	such as Secure Sockets, Secure HTTP, public and private key encryption technologies,
	digital signing, certification authorities, and several other topics related to Web
	security, visit the RSA Technologies home page and read its very extensive FAQ. The
	RSA site is located at







	
http://www.rsa.com/

	











Additionally, the mail capabilities and support previously mentioned could be
incorporated to enable visitors to sign guest logs, provide immediate feedback about
your site, or respond to job opportunities directly to the cognizant point of contact.
The number of additional things you can accomplish could fill another couple of chapters
in this book. The DBGateway software documentation contains all the details necessary
to expand on the skills you've learned in this chapter.



Summary




In this chapter, you examined a full-fledged Web database application using a
variety of new tools.


The chapter began with a systematic look at the requirements, benefits of, and
components required for building a PC-based Web database system. Along the way, you
were introduced to DBGateway, an extremely capable software application that enables
you to easily and quickly develop WWW database applications without requiring more
knowledge than the HTML you already know. Next, you saw a detailed, step-by-step
account of using the graphical tools provided with Microsoft Access to build a database.
You then examined the tables and relationships for the Omnitech database
that is the heart of the application presented in this chapter. Finally, you delved
deeply into the actual application. You looked at a full accounting of all queries
currently implemented and using report templates not only to present results of a
query, but also to form the basis of a secondary query that incorporates user input.