Chapter 28

Web Technology and DBMSs

Transparencies
Chapter 28 - Objectives
• Basics of Internet, Web, HTTP, HTML, URLs.
• Difference between two-tier and three-tier
client-server architecture.
• Advantages and disadvantages of Web as a
database platform.
• Approaches for integrating databases into
Web:
o Scripting Languages
o Common Gateway Interface (CGI)
o HTTP Cookies
Chapter 28 - Objectives
• Extending the Web Server
• Java and JDBC, SQLJ, Servlets, and JSP
• Microsoft Web Solution Platform: ASP and
ADO
• Oracle Internet Platform.
Introduction

• Web most popular and powerful networked

information system to date.
• As architecture of Web was designed to be
platform-independent, can significantly lower
deployment and training costs.
• Organizations using Web as strategic
platform for innovative business solutions, in
effect becoming Web-centric.
Introduction
• Many Web sites today are file-based where
each Web document is stored in separate
file.
• For large sites, this can lead to significant
management problems.
• Also many Web sites now contain more
dynamic information, such as product and
pricing data.
• Maintaining such data in both a database
and in separate HTML files is problematic.
• Accessing database directly from Web
would be a better approach.
Internet
Worldwide collection of interconnected
networks.

• Began in late ‘60s in ARPANET, a US DOD

project, investigating how to build networks
that could withstand partial outages.
• Starting with a few nodes, Internet estimated
to have over 100 million users in 1997, and
over 390 million users in over 100 countries
in 2001.
• May be 640 million users of Web by year
2003.
• About 2.5 billion documents on Internet (550
Intranet and Extranet

• Intranet - Web site or group of sites belonging

to an organization, accessible only by
members of that organization.

• Extranet - An intranet that is partially

accessible to authorized outsiders.

• Whereas intranet resides behind firewall and

is accessible only to people who are members
of same organization, extranet provides
various levels of accessibility to outsiders.
eCommerce and eBusiness

• eCommerce - Customers can place and pay

for orders via the business’s Web site.

• eBusiness - Complete integration of Internet

technology into economic infrastructure of
the business.

• Business-to-business transactions may reach

$1.3 trillion by 2003.

• eCommerce may account for $3.2 trillion in

worldwide corporate revenue by 2003 and
The Web
Hypermedia-based system that provides a
simple ‘point and click’ means of browsing
information on the Internet using hyperlinks.

• Information presented on Web pages, which

can contain text, graphics, pictures, sound,
and video.
• Can also contain hyperlinks to other Web
pages, which allow users to navigate in a
non-sequential way through information.
• Web documents written using HTML.
The Web

• Web consists of network of computers that

can act in two roles:
o as servers, providing information;
o as clients (browsers), requesting
information.
• Protocol that governs exchange of
information between Web server and
browser is HTTP and locations within
documents identified as a URL.
• Much of Web’s success is due to its
simplicity and platform-independence.
Basic Components of Web Environment
HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP)
Protocol used to transfer Web pages through
Internet.

• Based on request-response paradigm:

Connection - Client establishes connection with Web
server.
Request - Client sends request to Web server.
Response - Web server sends response (HTML
document) to client.
Close - Connection closed by Web server.
HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP)

• HTTP/1.0 is stateless protocol - each

connection is closed once server provides
response.
• This makes it difficult to support concept of a
session that is essential to basic DBMS
transactions.
HyperText Markup Language (HTML)

Document formatting language used to design

most Web pages.

• A simple, yet powerful, platform-independent

document language.
• HTML is an application of Standardized
Generalized Markup Language (SGML), a
system for defining structured document
types and markup languages to represent
instances of those document types.
HyperText Markup Language (HTML)
HyperText Markup Language (HTML)
Uniform Resource Locators (URLs)

String of alphanumeric characters that

represents location or address of a resource on
Internet and how that resource should be
accessed.

• Defines uniquely where documents

(resources) can be found.
• Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs) - generic
set of all Internet resource names/addresses.
• Uniform Resource Names (URNs) - persistent,
location-independent name. Relies on name
lookup services.
Uniform Resource Locators (URLs)
• URL consists of three basic parts:
o protocol used for the connection,
o host name,
o path name on host where resource stored.
• Can optionally specify:
o port through which connection to host should be
made,
o query string.

http://www.w3.org/Markup/MarkUp.html
Static and Dynamic Web Pages

• HTML document stored in file is static Web

page.
• Content of dynamic Web page is generated
each time it is accessed.
• Thus, dynamic Web page can:
o respond to user input from browser;
o be customized by and for each user.
• Requires hypertext to be generated by
servers.
• Need scripts that perform conversions from
different data formats into HTML ‘on-the-fly’.
Requirements for Web-DBMS Integration

• Ability to access valuable corporate data in a

secure manner.
• Data- and vendor-independent connectivity
to allow freedom of choice in DBMS
selection.
• Ability to interface to database independent
of any proprietary browser or Web server.
• Connectivity solution that takes advantage
of all the features of an organization’s
DBMS.
Requirements for Web-DBMS Integration

• Open architecture to allow interoperability

with a variety of systems and technologies.
For example:
o different Web servers;
o Microsoft's (Distributed) Common Object Model
(DCOM/COM);
o CORBA/IIOP (Internet Inter-ORB protocol);
o Java/Remote Method Invocation (RMI).

• Cost-effective solution that allows for

scalability, growth, and changes in strategic
directions, and helps reduce applications
development costs.
Requirements for Web-DBMS Integration

• Support for transactions that span multiple

HTTP requests.
• Support for session- and application-based
authentication.
• Acceptable performance.
• Minimal administration overhead.
• Set of high-level productivity tools to allow
applications to be developed, maintained,
and deployed with relative ease and speed.
Two-Tier Client-Server Architecture
Three-Tier Client-Server Architecture
• Client side presented two problems
preventing true scalability:
o ‘Fat’ client, requiring considerable resources on
client’s computer to run effectively.
o Significant client side administration overhead.

• By 1995, three layers proposed, each

potentially running on a different platform.
Three-Tier Client-Server Architecture
• Advantages:
o ‘Thin’ client, requiring less expensive hardware.
o Application maintenance centralized.
o Easier to modify or replace one tier without
affecting others.
o Separating business logic from database
functions makes it easier to implement load
balancing.
o Maps quite naturally to Web environment.
Three-Tier Client-Server Architecture
Advantages of Web-DBMS Approach
• DBMS advantages
• Simplicity
• Platform independence
• Graphical User Interface
• Standardization
• Cross-platform support
• Transparent network access
• Scalable deployment
• Innovation
Disadvantages of Web-DBMS Approach
• Reliability
• Security
• Cost
• Scalability
• Limited functionality of HTML
• Statelessness
• Bandwidth
• Performance
• Immaturity of development tools
Approaches to Integrating Web and DBMSs

• Scripting Languages.
• Common Gateway Interface (CGI).
• HTTP Cookies.
• Extending the Web Server.
• Java, JDBC, SQLJ, Servlets, and JSP.
• Microsoft Web Solution Platform: ASP and
ADO.
• Oracle Internet Platform.
Scripting Languages (JavaScript and
VBScript)
• Scripting languages can be used to extend
browser and Web server with database
functionality.
• As script code is embedded in HTML, it is
downloaded every time page is accessed.
• Updating browser is simply a matter of
changing Web document on server.
• Some popular scripting languages are:
JavaScript, VBScript, Perl, and PHP.
• They are interpreted languages, not
compiled, making it easy to create small
applications.
Common Gateway Interface (CGI)

Specification for transferring information

between a Web server and a CGI program.

• Server only intelligent enough to send

documents and to tell browser what kind of
document it is.
• But server also knows how to launch other
programs.
• When server sees that URL points to a
program (script), it executes script and
sends back script’s output to browser as if
it were a file.
CGI - Environment
CGI
• CGI defines how scripts communicate with
Web servers.
• A CGI script is any script designed to
accept and return data that conforms to the
CGI specification.
• Before server launches script, prepares
number of environment variables
representing current state of the server,
who is requesting the information, and so
on.
• Script picks this up and reads STDIN.
CGI

• Then performs necessary processing and

writes its output to STDOUT.
• Script responsible for sending MIME header,
which allows browser to differentiate
between components.
• CGI scripts can be written in almost any
language, provided it supports reading and
writing of an operating system’s
environment variables.
CGI

• Four primary methods for passing

information from browser to a CGI script:

o Passing parameters on the command line.

o Passing environment variables to CGI programs.
o Passing data to CGI programs via standard input.
o Using extra path information.
CGI - Passing Parameters on Command
Line
CGI - Advantages

• CGI is the de facto standard for interfacing

Web servers with external applications.
• Possibly most commonly used method for
interfacing Web applications to data
sources.
• Advantages:
o simplicity,
o language independence,
o Web server independence,
o wide acceptance.
CGI - Disadvantages
• Communication between client and database
server must always go through Web server.
• Lack of efficiency and transaction support,
and difficulty validating user input inherited
from statelessness of HTTP protocol.
• HTTP never intended for long exchanges or
interactivity.
• Server has to generate a new process or
thread for each CGI script.
• Security.
HTTP Cookies
• Cookies can make CGI scripts more
interactive.
• Cookies are small text files stored on Web
client.
• CGI script creates cookie and has Web
server send it to client’s browser to store
on hard disk.
• Later, when client revisits Web site and
uses a CGI script that requests this cookie,
client’s browser sends information stored
in the cookie.
• Cookies can be used to store registration
information or preferences (e.g. for virtual
Extending the Web Server

• To overcome limitations of CGI, many

servers provide an API that adds
functionality to server.
• Two of main APIs are Netscape’s NSAPI and
Microsoft’s ISAPI.
• Scripts are loaded in as part of the server,
giving back-end applications full access to
all the I/O functions of server.
• One copy of application is loaded and
shared between multiple requests to server.
Extending the Web Server

• Approach more complex than CGI, possibly

requiring specialized programmers.
• Can provide very flexible and powerful
solution.
• API extensions can provide same
functionality as a CGI program, but as API
runs as part of the server, API approach can
perform significantly better than CGI.
• Extending Web server is potentially
dangerous, since server executable is being
changed.
Server-Side JavaScript for Database Access
Comparison of CGI and API
• CGI and API both extend capabilities of
server.
• CGI scripts run in environment created by
Web server program.
• Scripts only execute once Web server
interprets request from browser, then
returns results back to the server.
• API approach not nearly so limited in its
ability to communicate.
• API-based extensions are loaded into
same address space as Web server.
Java

• Proprietary language developed by Sun.

• Originally intended to support environment
of networked machines and embedded
systems.
• Now, Java is rapidly becoming de facto
language for Web computing.
• Interesting because of its potential for
building Web applications (applets) and
server applications (servlets).
Java
‘A simple, object-oriented, distributed,
interpreted, robust, secure, architecture
neutral, portable, high-performance, multi-
threaded and dynamic language’.

• Has a machine-independent target

architecture, the Java Virtual Machine
(JVM).
• Since almost every Web browser vendor
has already licensed Java and implemented
an embedded JVM, Java applications can
currently be deployed on most end-user
platforms.
Java
Java

• Before Java application can be executed, it

must first be loaded into memory.
• Done by Class Loader, which takes ‘.class’
file(s) containing bytecodes and transfers it
into memory.
• Class file can be loaded from local hard
drive or downloaded from network.
• Finally, bytecodes must be verified to
ensure that they are valid and do not
violate Java’s security restrictions.
Java
• Loosely speaking, Java is a ‘safe’ C++.
• Safety features include strong static type
checking, automatic garbage collection, and
absence of machine pointers at language
level.
• Safety is central design goal: ability to
safely transmit Java code across Internet.
• Security is also integral part of Java’s
design - sandbox ensures untrusted
application cannot gain access to system
resources.
Java 2 Platform
• In mid-1999, Sun announced it would
pursue a distinct and integrated Java
enterprise platform:
o J2ME: aimed at embedded and consumer-
electronics platforms.
o J2SE: aimed at typical desktop and workstation
environments. Essentially equivalent to JDK 1.2.
o J2EE: aimed at robust, scalable, multiuser, and
secure enterprise applications.

• J2EE was designed to simplify complex

problems with development, deployment,
and management of multitier enterprise
applications.
Java 2 Platform
• Cornerstone of J2EE is Enterprise
JavaBeans (EJB), a standard for building
server-side components in Java.
• Two types of EJB components:
o EJB Session Beans, components implementing
business logic, business rules, and workflow.
o EJB Entity Beans, components encapsulating
some data contained by the enterprise. Entity
Beans are persistent.
• From database perspective, interested in
two J2EE components: JDBC and JSP.
Java 2 Platform
JDBC

• Modeled after ODBC, JDBC API supports

basic SQL functionality.
• With JDBC, Java can be used as host
language for writing database applications.
• On top of JDBC, higher-level APIs can be
built.
• Currently, two types of higher-level APIs:
o An embedded SQL for Java (e.g. SQLJ).
o A direct mapping of relational database tables to
Java classes (e.g. Java Blend from Sun).
JDBC

• JDBC API consists of two main interfaces:

an API for application writers, and a lower-
level driver API for driver writers.
• Applications and applets can access
databases using:
o ODBC drivers and existing database client
libraries;
o JDBC API with pure Java JDBC drivers.
JDBC
JDBC - Advantages/Disadvantages

• Advantage of using ODBC drivers is that

they are a de facto standard for PC database
access, and are available for many DBMSs,
for very low price.
• Disadvantages with this approach:
o Non-pure JDBC driver will not necessarily work
with a Web browser.
o Currently downloaded applet can connect only
to database located on host machine.
o Deployment costs increase.
SQLJ

• Another JDBC-based approach uses Java

with static embedded SQL.
• SQLJ comprises a set of clauses that
extend Java to include SQL constructs as
statements and expressions.
• SQLJ translator transforms SQLJ clauses
into standard Java code that accesses
database through a CLI.
Comparison of JDBC and SQLJ

• SQLJ is based on static embedded SQL

while JDBC is based on dynamic SQL.
• Thus, SQLJ facilitates static analysis for
syntax checking, type checking, and
schema checking, which may help produce
more reliable programs at loss of some
functionality.
• It also potentially allows DBMS to generate
an execution strategy for the query, thereby
improving performance of the query.
Comparison of JDBC and SQLJ

• JDBC is low-level middleware tool with

features to interface Java application with
RDBMS.
• Developers need to design a relational schema
to which they will map Java objects, and must
write code to map Java objects to
corresponding rows of relations.
• Problems:
o need to be aware of two different paradigms
(object and relational);
o need to design a relational schema to map onto
an object design;
o need to write mapping code.
Java Servlets

• Servlets are programs that run on Java-

enabled Web server and build Web pages,
analogous to CGI.
• Have a number of advantages over CGI:
o improved performance;
o portability;
o extensibility;
o simpler session management;
o improved security and reliability.
Java Server Pages (JSP)
• JSP is a Java-based server-side scripting
language that allows static HTML to be
mixed with dynamically-generated HTML.
• Behind scenes, JSP is compiled into Java
servlet and processed by a Java-enabled
Web server (JSP works with most Web
servers).
• Since servlet is compiled, performance is
improved.
Microsoft Web Solution Platform

• Microsoft Web Solution Platform, a

precursor to .NET, has been created for
building and deploying interoperable Web
solutions.
• Contains various tools, services, and
technologies, such as:
o Windows 2000,
o Exchange Server,
o Visual Studio,
o HTML/XML,
o scripting languages,
o components (Java, ActiveX).
Object Linking and Embedding for
DataBases (OLE DB)

• Microsoft has defined set of data objects,

collectively known as OLE DB.
• Allows OLE-oriented applications to share
and manipulate sets of data as objects.
• OLE DB is an object-oriented specification
based on C++ API.
• Components can be treated as data
consumers and data providers. Consumers
take data from OLE DB interfaces and
providers expose OLE DB interfaces.
OLE DB Architecture
Active Server Pages (ASP)
• ASP is programming model that allows
dynamic, interactive Web pages to be
created on server.
• ASP provides flexibility of CGI, without
performance overhead discussed
previously.
• ASP runs in-process with the server, and is
optimized to handle large volume of users.
• When an ‘.asp’ file is requested, Web
server calls ASP, which reads requested
file, executes any commands, and sends
generated HTML page back to browser.
Active Server Pages (ASP)
ActiveX Data Objects (ADO)
• Programming extension of ASP supported
by Microsoft IIS for database connectivity.
• Supports following key features:
o Independently-created objects.
o Support for stored procedures.
o Support for different cursor types.
o Batch updating.
o Support for limits on number of returned rows.
o Support for multiple recordsets.
• Designed as an easy-to-use interface to OLE
DB.
Comparison of ASP and JSP
• Both designed to enable developers to
separate page design from programming
logic through use of callable components.
• Differences:
o JSP is essentially platform and server
independent whereas ASP primarily restricted to
MS Windows-based platforms.
o JSP perhaps more extensible as JSP developers
can extend the JSP tags available.
o JSP components are reusable across platforms.
o JSP benefits from in-built Java security model.
Microsoft Access and Web Page Generation

• Microsoft Access provides 3 wizards for

automatically generating HTML pages:
o Static pages: user can export data to HTML
format.
o Dynamic pages using ASP: user can export data
to an ‘asp’ file on Web server.
o Dynamic pages using data access pages: data
access pages are dynamic HTML Web pages
bound directly to data in the database. Can be
used like Access forms, except pages are stored
as external files.
Oracle Internet Platform

• Comprises Oracle Internet Application

Server (iAS) and Oracle DBMS.
• It is n-tier architecture based on industry
standards such as:
o HTTP and HTML/XML for Web enablement.
o OMG’s CORBA technology.
o IIOP for object interoperability and RMI.
o Java, EJB, JDBC, and SQLJ for database
connectivity, Java servlets, and JSP.
Oracle Internet Platform
Oracle Internet Application Server (iAS)

• A reliable, scalable, secure, middle-tier

application server designed to support
eBusiness.
• Currently available in three versions:
o Standard Edition: lightweight Web server with
minimal application support;
o Enterprise Edition: for Web sites that handle
high volume of transactions;
o Wireless Edition: same as EE but also
includes Portal-to-Go for delivering content to
wireless devices.
iAS – Communication Services

• Handles all incoming requests received by

iAS, of which some are processed by the
Oracle HTTP Server and some requests
are routed to other areas of iAS.
• Oracle HTTP Server is extended version of
Apache Server.
• Although default Apache HTTP Server
supports only stateless transactions, it
can be configured to support stateful
transactions using Apache JServ.
Oracle HTTP Server Modules (mods)

• Oracle has enhanced several of the

compiled Apache mods provided with
Apache server, and has added Oracle-
specific ones; e.g.:
o mod_ssl, provides standard S-HTTP;
o mod_plsql, routes PL/SQL requests to Oracle
PL/SQL service, which then delegates
servicing to PL/SQL programs;
o mod_perl, forwards Perl application requests
to the embedded Perl Interpreter;
o mod_jserv, routes all servlet requests to the
embedded Apache JServ servlet engine.
Business Logic Services

• These services support the application

logic; e.g.:
o Oracle JVM, a server-side Java platform
supporting EJBs, CORBA, and database
stored procedures.
o Oracle PLSQL, a scalable engine for running
business logic against data in the Oracle
Cache and the Oracle database.
o Oracle Forms, enables users to run
applications based on Oracle Forms
technology over Internet or intranet to query
or modify data in the database.
Presentation Services

• These services deliver dynamic content to

client browsers, supporting servlets, JSP,
Perl/CGI scripts, PL/SQL pages, forms, and
business intelligence; e.g.:
o Apache Jserv, a Java servlet engine;
o OracleJSP, an implementation of Sun’s JSP;
o Oracle PSP (PL/SQL Server Pages), analogous
to JSP, but uses PL/SQL rather than Java for
the server-side scripting. In the simplest case,
a PSP is nothing more than an HTML file or an
XML file.
Oracle Portal Services

• A portal is a Web-based application that

provides a common, integrated entry point
for accessing dissimilar data types on a
single Web page.
• Oracle Portal provides portal services for
users connecting from a traditional
desktop.
• Oracle Portal-to-Go is a portal service for
delivering information and applications to
mobile devices. Portal-to-Go allows portal
sites to be created that use Web pages,
Java applications, and XML-based