How to Create a Searchable Database with Caspio, Code-Free

May 30, 2016

When a database contains hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of records, chances are it’s not easy for people to find what they are looking for. As the amount of data grows, so does the time required to search for specific information.

In this article, we highlight the various tools you can use to create a searchable database and the issues you may need to consider.

For many business users, Microsoft Excel is their default information repository tool. After all, it is simple and easy-to-use, with customizable sort and filter functions to quickly arrange information the way you want. However, Excel imposes its own risks. In a previous article, we examined the lack of security, reliability, traceability, and scalability of Excel.

While Microsoft Access remains a popular choice for non-programmers, inevitably, there may come a point when you need to extend the security and functionality of your database application. Additionally, Access is not scalable and its publishing capabilities are limited. Access users and developers looking to migrate their solutions to the cloud face slow and expensive alternatives.

A good solution, albeit complex, is to use a server-based database such as MySQL or Microsoft SQL Server. However, these options are the territory of experienced developers and database administrators. Operating, maintaining, and programming against database servers requires advanced technical knowledge. Using a database server may also drain your IT resources during implementation and into the future for ongoing maintenance. Writing code is expensive and database applications are difficult to maintain as browser and device technologies continuously evolve.

Alternatively, you can adopt a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) solution. PaaS is known for its strategic benefits of enabling fast delivery of applications to market. However, most PaaS offerings are designed for developers. Caspio falls into a particular category of PaaS that enables non-developers to build online database applications with little or no coding. Making enhancements is easy using Caspio’s point-and-click tools that streamline the iteration process and minimize the total time spent on modifications.

Watch the video below to see how to create searchable databases using Caspio. You’ll learn how to:

Create an interactive search form with a logical operator between criteria.
Add an auto-complete function to a search field – this feature works like Google search.
Create searchable database reports with a tabular, grid, or list layout for specific uses.