The right tool makes all the difference

I am thoroughly impressed with MySQL and PHP.  The software DBQwikSite is another tool I think highly of.  I have been thinking of how to create a database to calculate school activity points for the last few years.  I started with thinking about how it could be done with Delphi by programming it straight from scratch.  Then I thought about Access.  Then I thought about Delphi or VB.NET to connect to any database.  I could not make very much progress because I was using the WRONG TOOL.  Then, I was exposed to MySQL and PHP through Xibo digital signage.  That was my first exposure to PHPMyadmin to work with MySQL databases.  Last summer, I discovered DBQwikSite.  This slick software lets you create a data driven website without programming.  However, it makes it easy for you to insert custom code (HTML, PHP) so that you can customise the site.  I read Paul Litwin's relational database primer to figure out how to design the two tables required.  I learned about some aspects of MySQL and PHP through W3Schools.  I had to do numerous Google searches to figure out various things

• how to deal with NULL values
• how to use MySQL VIEW to create virtual tables (this is so you can make computed fields).
• how to pass a parameter from one PHP page to another PHP page.
• how to secure the database with PHPMyadmin (create users) and DBQwikSite
• creating reports by outputting the SELECT query result (which is an array)

It's all come together and the database website works quite well!