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For a school that wants a database solution where students can register online for courses. The database would reveal things like the course name, date, cost, hours, time etc.

The site should allow any member of the school to update the listings and classes without having to become a web designer. A simple administrator log in where they can only modify this database and not the rest of the site.

Potential students should also be able to pay for a course by using a credit card.

Can anyone recommend what solution would do this? Is PHP & MySQL the best option?

Has anyone done anything similar? What do the experts recommend?

Cheers''

Well, PHP & MySQL is quite good solution. I used it to make a login system. MySQl is quite popular db. But if you don't want 2 use it - well, PHPh has a lot of functions, to work with databases - MS Sql server, Access and other... My vote is 'pro'

Before starting, I'd layout a security plan. You're talking about a pretty serious registration component that simply cannot fail. This doesn't sound like a simple form with database connectivity and payment gateway. I'd want to see your entire backend thought process before giving a greenlight. MySQL is a great database but if you're talking about handling highly sensitive/protected data, I'd look into something more like Oracle. MySQL can of course handle the transactions but I'd be more concerned about the security of the server it resides on.

My TWO cents...

Jim Webster
http://www.idevdirect.com

Please visit http://moodle.org/
Other similar solutions already exist at freshmeat.net
PHP+MySql would work great for you. If your school requires you to do the project on Windows you can visit EasyPHP to install PHP+MySql+Apache

hi,
as an answer to your question. PHP and mysql is the best sollution, and by far the easiest sollution if you want an automated process..

Hope that helps.. :-)

Ordinarily PHP/MySQL would be a good choice, but I noticed your one statement "Potential students should also be able to pay for a course by using a credit card." and I will have to agree with Jim Webster about the security issues.

Payment gateways will need a secure method of transaction built into it and php/mysql can be a tricky animal. You are probably also going to be dealing with Student information that may or may not be confidential.

One additional note to this thread:

PhP and MySQL are both open source and free of charge; whereas other forms of server scripting and databases cost $$$, such as, ASP/SQL.

php is revolved around a theme of practicality. php tools are design to help the programmer/designer write programs more quickly and efficently.Here are some characteristics of php:

familiarity: programmers with some backgrond in languages like, C#, perl, ASP, Pascal would have a better learning curve considerably.

simplicity: a php program can consist of 10,000 lines of code or just one line of code, what ever gets the job done. And other thing php does not need to incude any libraries or any thing of the sort. Unless you want to incude a script its up to you.

efficency: efficency is an improtant consideration when it comes to a muiltiuser platform.

security: when it come to security php provides developers and administrators with flexible and efficent secuity safeguards for the application level and the system level.

MOST IMPORTANT ITS FREE!!!!!