Sometimes a project can be completed quickly and inexpensively, but that's not always the best way to go. The South Dakota State Data Center (SDSDC) wanted to make some of its data available on its website. The SDSDC had all of the data but didn't have the infrastructure it needed to manage and deliver it over the web. More specifically, the SDSDC needed a mechanism for storing the data in a web-friendly format, a system for maintaining the data, and an interface that people can use to retrieve the data. The amount of data made a file-based system impractical, so a custom database application was what the SDSDC needed.

Several important steps had to be completed before the project could be considered a success. The database was designed to store all of the data that the SDSDC wanted to offer. An interface was constructed that allows the SDSDC to manage the data. The website was updated so that the public can access the database. All of this was done in a framework that allows people to use the application in a safe, secure, and intuitive way. This application was not simple or cheap to build, but it was the best way to give everybody what they wanted.

Do you want to see the finished product in action? The general public can interact with the database at the following URL:
http://www.usd.edu/sdsdc/data/form.cfm