| In the preceding step, we saw how to use forms to pull information from a database. In this step, we are going to look at how to use forms to keep our database information up-to-date. Having a database-driven web site is great, but if it's too difficult to keep the database content accurate and up-to-date, there's little point in using a database at all. More and more, customers are requiring that their web developers provide them with a means to update their sites themselveslive and in real time. If a customer's web site is hosted externally by a hosting company (as many are), it might prove difficult for them to access their database directly. In addition, updating a database directly requires specialist skills that many of your customers won't have. Using ColdFusion, you can provide your customers with a forms-based interface for updating their database content that is both easy to understand and easy to use. Many web sites these days have a secured administration section that enables customers to change, update, and track certain information within their site. In this step, we will concentrate on building an interface that customers can use to update existing database records and insert new ones. In Step 9, "User Security," we will focus on building in security so that only authorized users have access to this portion of the application. |
