In this article, I will explain how it is possible to connect and query an MS SQL server (running under a Windows operating system) from php installed on a unix box. The same problem, in the case of php installed under Windows is not covered here because it is well explained in php FAQ; sadly I cannot say the same thing for the unix case. In fact, there is a multitude of incorrect or outdated sources of information which will cause new people trying to solve this problem to drop it after some bad tries. This article can also be of help to people who don't want to use php as a client.
Most interactive websites nowadays require data to be presented dynamically and interactively based on input from the user. For example, a customer may need to log into a retail website to check his purchasing history. In this instance, the website would have stored two types of data in order for the customer to perform the check ? the customer?s personal login details; and the customer?s purchased items. This data can be stored in two types of storage ? flat files or databases.
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