Newbie deciding on how to do it!

[PA8]

I don't know where to start so here goes. Sorry if I don't make sense

Right now I'm at the planning stage to start a online, on demand elearning business.

I have thought out the following so far:

For the front end of the business, I will use an application like Dreamweaver to make the site which should be easy. I will create links which in turn will lead to presentation software.

The software I might use is Macromedia Captivate to deliver the presentation, at the end of the presentation there will be a question and answer part.

Now I have figured out that I need a database because I need Captivate to output results such as the answers to a server.

So far, I know that Captivate can communicate with MS ACCESS and msql, however I'm trying to figure out is the database software I should use.

I'm familiar with ACCESS and I'll be more inclined to use this it, but I read somewhere that only a small number of users (approx 17) can access it at the same time, I don't know if this is true or not. However, for this project, I envisage I could have up to 1000 users (maybe more) at the same time.

Also, security is something to think about as I have no experience in this area. I would probably get the server hoster to do all this for me.

If you think the above system design or software selection is perculiar then please let me know so I dont have to waste my brain cells to think about

[PA8]

Wow, 55 views and not one person stepping forward to help. Must be a real toughie.

Ok then, does anyone know any other forums I can find help in?

[Corey Bryant]

Sorry I read your question once but it did not sink in - maybe that might be the case of the other developers on this board.

I would recommend MSSQL. Even though MS Access is not supposed to be used for web applications, people still use it. We did a test awhile back on MS Access with 500 concurrent users and the database was OK. Do I recommend it - no. Microsoft Access was designed as a single-user desktop database, and not for server use.

There are many Access applications out there running with 25 users without a problem though - but these are well designed and all of the factors are just right. Access doesn't have the recoverability of SQL Server in the case of corruption, and 75 users over a network might result in lost of lock issues.

I have read somewhere that they recommedn up to 255 I believe. However, most people see a decline in performance around 25 - 30 users, but many report robust performance with upwards of 100. There are no magic forumulas; every app is different and your preformance depends entirely on your understanding of the issues associated with Access and multiusers. Your app must be written with multiuser issues in mind; a standard drag-n-drop Access app is bound to give numerous problems.

There is no exact answer because it also depends on the updates, the hardware, etc

[PA8]

Thanks Corey for your frankness.

At least I'm talking to someone with experience in these matters which I have limited knowledge of.

I'm just familiar with MS office packages and for me to incorporate it in my elearning site it would make it easier. However it seems that I need to read up more about msql and other web databases.

One more question - How easy is it to tranfer data from ACCESS to other databases? I was just thinking about starting the project with ACCESS and when I've tested it, I could migrate ACCESS to a suitable database. Again I'm just thinking because I'm probably should start it with the right database.

Thanks again Corey

[jazzcat]

Again I'm just thinking because I'm probably should start it with the right database.

If that's the platform you're going to use, you should just use SQL Server to start. You can get a free version from Microsoft to develop on and then deploy to your webhost.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/sql/

From your inexperience I would highly recommend that you look for pre-packaged e-learning software. While you can design your site with Dreamweaver, that would mean that every time you (or one of your clients) wants to add a new course, you'd have to spend time to create the page in Dreamweaver.

Here is a good free content management system:

http://www.cps-project.org/

You should instead look for some kind of Content Management System, maybe something like Nuxeo (see above). This will save you lots of time in creating new quizzes, and will allow your site to scale to the 1000's of users you think you have.

But there are a few questions, like: what kind of platform does Capitvate support? Does it display via Flash or Java in a web browser? How does it communicate with the database? Can it display on a remote user's computer and connect to your database? Or, perhaps you could put the quizzes on your main website instead of inside the Captivate presentations.

And, how do you want people to pay for their courses? If you use PayPal or a credit card authorization, you'll have to follow some very specific rules to protect your customers and yourself against fraud.

There are lots of questions you'll have to answer... good luck!

[Corey Bryant]

Upsizing is very simple. Just go to Tools - Database Utilities - Upsizing Wizard.

We use Access a lot because the customers tend to enjoy being able to open it locally - even though scripts are there for everything they need. We usually upsize the database when needed.

Also - if you do have it built using MS Access make sure the programmers know that you might want to upsize later. MS Access will create all the tables and move the data to MSSQL for you automatically but there are some queries that will only work for MS Access.

[PA8]

Hi guys,

Thank you all for all the info you passed on. You guys are great in my book!

I will let you know the progress of the project so you can either gloat or admire it at a later date.

Thx again

[swamy]

Good Luck

swamy
url#http://www.pramadinfotech.com

[TipPro]

Don't waste money on a Microsoft DB. Use MYSQL, its free and so simple to use. Most Web hosts will probably include it for free with your hosting plan.