Wanted: Suggestions for site development

I have contracted to build a site which will offer for sale upwards of 50,000 vinyl records as well as CDs and DVDs. I'm an experienced programmer in a number of languages, including C/C++, Perl, Java, and VB. I have done a few small simple sites as well as one that built pages 'on the fly' on the server in accordance with table contents. I am expecting to do something similar in this situation from a database on the server. The new part, for me, is maintaining the database from the proprietor's client machine. Any suggestions will be welcomed and considered.

I'm not sure this is the appropriate forum, but I'm trying to avoid too much specificity as to database, languages, etc., at this point.

Thanks.

Just build an admin section into the site that will allow the user to manage the products, sales, customers, etc. This way the client can manage everything from any computer on the internet, work, home, even vacation if there's an emergency or something.

Whew! In very broad terms, create admin page(s) consisting mostly of forms that pass variables to query script(s). The client will need to do a number of tasks involving inventory, invoices, shipping, customer info, etc. All will require queries. This is where I get tired head. The queries must be safe, eg. don't delete from table if where is not specified. They must support referential integrity. My head is already too tired to continue.

So, make access controlled pages.

Ask the admin what she wants to do.

Serve up the appropriate form.

Validate the entries.

If the query is dangerous, verify with warnings.

You didn't mention PHP, but it is an especially appropriate language for this purpose. MySQL is my first choice for a light weight, very fast, read more than write db.

cheers,

gary

Yea, maybe I didn't detail it enough ... I'll simply add: client admin pages are a pain.

It's very diffficult for me to get unbiased opinions from forums dedicated to a specific thangy because of religious fervor. If PHP, as opposed to Perl, say, would be superior, why? I have no problem with learning a new language if the productivity is there in the tradeoffs.

Also, I have googled and cruised forums a great deal and the information tends to be somewhat overwhelming. If you have any favorite links that will clarify things rather than bury me some more, please feel free to toss 'em in.

It's a Microsoft Windows Advanced Server and IIS 5.0 with ActiveState Perl installed.

I suggested PHP because it was designed from the ground up for exactly this type of job. OTOH, I believe PHP must work through CGI in IIS, so it loses some advantage compared to its integration in Apache. If Perl is an integrated module on IIS, then it would be better suited on a high demand site. Probably not a consideration here.

For a one off job, I see no reason not to use whichever language you're comfortable with. If you're going to be coding a bunch of dynamic db based sites, my vote goes to PHP. To put a value to my opinion, my coding is pretty much trivial; web stuff in PHP and javascript, sysadmin stuff in Perl, AWK, sed, and Bash, and some class module stuff in C++ and Java. (4 mos. of Java and I never want to see another line.) I've played with OOP-Pascal, Basic, and Lisp. In other words, fairly broad but not even knee deep.

cheers,

gary