PieMan — Mon, 20 Oct 2003 18:46:56 +0000

Thanks for your help Suzanne.

Suzanne — Mon, 20 Oct 2003 18:36:23 +0000

Whoa.

1. flat file database is really just a text file with lines of relevant data listed. It's not the best option for your needs, and it's not secure.

2. MySQL is a brand of "structured query language" databases that include proprietary and open-source. It's one of the most commonly used, quite solid and many people know it.

Another "type" of database is to use XML, which is sort of a combination between a sql database and a flatfile database.

The other questions are a bit painful -- php.net and mysql.com have good resources once you sort of know what you're doing, but if you have absolutely no knowledge of databases, check out the book by Kevin Yank -- sitepoint.com/books/ on using PHP and MySQL for starters. He lists some helpful sites and resources for those who are totally brand new to programming and databases as well.