iamlost - 5:29 pm on Sep 19, 2005 (gmt 0)

None of the response to the initial question is "wrong". There does seem to be an assumption that a DB will be a basic web server and/or e-commerce backend. As the original question was open ended some of the answers addressed larger more complex site and B2B considerations.

It is only after a client has said what they want the DB to do now and in future that questioning can be limited.

It is also amusing that certain functions/terms are considered "inappropriate". Depends on the DB requirements.

The initial question:

Since this is a request for "generic guidance" the subject matter for the database could be real estate, jobs listings, equipment for sale, event info, directory listing, etc.

could be for a small content site, a large affiliate site, an auto gen scraper site, or a national or international B2B site. The questions needing to be asked for each often vary greatly in kind, detail, and importance.

Conversation should always be framed to the client - in this instance with Webwork (and other WebmasterWorld members) I would expect a greater level of technical competence/understanding than a COO with an MBA.