There's no doubt that if you use ASP, you want to go for SQL Server 7/2000. Contains a hell of a lot of features, including Triggers/Stored Procedures/and Text Indexing. SQL Server 2000 now can be used along side XML. It has a good learning curve, and the interface makes it a lot easier to grasp all the RDBMS concepts.

MySQL can't handle Stored Procedures or triggers yet, and it functions along the command line (like Oracle). (Although there are some GUIs out there for it.) MySQL is a good place to start though for PHP. It's free and reliable for personal apps. It's all pretty easy to use. From what I hear, PostgreSQL is only available on Unix/Linux types of machines, but there's a way around it using Cygwin.

If you want to start with an EASY database, I suggest using Access with ASP, unless you can afford SQL Server 2000 or Oracle 8i/9i. If you have any other questions, ask away.

Cheers

I'm using access now, it's madd ghetto. Slow as shit!

Also... say i have an asp page and it searches through an access database, would i just have to change the databaseconnection line (and maybe the sql string) to migrate to SQL server?

Depends. The transmission goes through ODBC, if you have it set that way, so syntax will be the same - unless of course you decide to change your table names or use features that are only part of SQL Server/Access.

Hi!
Someone here sayd that if you can afford yourself, you can use SQL SERVER 7/2000.
well, it's realy doesnt metter, because most of web application developers doesnt realy host the sites, they just build it and use a web-hosting company that hosts their sites.

Most of these web-hosts uses Linux as there OS, so it's realy a question of what your hosting copmany uses, if it uses Linux/UNIX it will probably use mySQL otherwise with will be SQL Server, so my point is if your gonna target your Application to a specific Database Program (this case using ASP) target it to the Database your hosts use.

If you ask me ill write all my web application in JSP, using JDBC, but that's my choice.

Hope I could help, if you want you can email me :

That depends. A lot of web developing companies have their own servers, unless those companies are non-web related, and they choose another organization to host their site remotely. (This is usually the case for small business or starting business.)The best way I think is if you just go for an an application service provider that supports whatever you want. The only drawback is that you will not be in full control of the server, and you might need some additional tech support to see how they function, depending on the complexity of your application.

I don't care about the price, and about the hosting, i wanna do it at home. I want to learn how to setup and maintain web hosts and stuff like that.

If you don't care about the price, go to SQL Server 2000 on Windows 2000 Advanced Server. If you do decide to go cheap, go for MySQL on WinNT/Linux.

hmmmmmpppffffffffffff!!!!!!! i was just searching for webhosting co's that offered Oracle as the db - man, i couldnt find *ANYTHING* under a Franklin month!!!! whats up with THAT!!!! > i might have to go the MySQL route instead, but i think i'd b *VERY* unhappy w/that choice. my aim is to gain SQL skills within a bonifide (ie, corporate) db environ, e-commerce oriented yet affordable thru a hosting co. @ a hundred bucks (or more!) a month i might as well look into setting up my own direct-access webserver......

I'm not surprise you didn't find any. Web hosting companies use MySQL because it's cheap. Oracle is usually available for corporate development, which means you're going to shell out more cash for a corporate web hosting company. If you want to gain "bonified" skills with a corporate db, I say go with SQL Server 2000 which is more common in web hosting companies than Oracle.