Is it possible to create database tables in SDL Tridion 2011 SP1

Question

I just wanted know, whether it is possible to create database tables in SDL Tridion 2011 SP1 and access it from an event handler.

Requirement: I want to make use of the database Tables created in event handler to automate page creation for every component created.

The database Tables will have information about the page templates and component templates for every schema.

Whenever a component is created a even handler will be triggered. It should get the component template, page template from database for the given schema and create a Page automatically. I want to create this database inside the Tridion. I just wanted to know is it possible to create a such database in Tridion. Is it possible to achieve this in the better way?

Answer 1

That requirement does not make any sense to me, but maybe I have too little information about what you are trying to achieve.

So, to strictly answer you question: in an event handler you can do whatever you want, since you are in full .NET programming context. If you want to create a Database, that is possible.

Note: If you are tying to automatically create Pages in an Event System, you can do this without creating any additional DBs or tables. Again, I would need more information about what exactly you are trying to accomplish.

Edit 1: I recommend against creating any additional tables inside the Tridion CM database, solely for the purpose of keeping things separated - what's Tridion should be kept Tridion and anything you create custom, should be in a different database or namespace. You will be happy you did so, when you will upgrade your CM.

I would also recommend storing those parameters you need for automatic Page creation (e.g. Component Template, Page Template) outside of a Database table. Think about Folder metadata, configuration files, etc. Storing it in a DB table is not bad per se, but it's kind of an overkill.

Answer 2

If you are asking if you can create additional databases on the same database server as the SDL Tridion CM database, the answer is yes. If that is not what you mean I have no idea what you mean by making a database in Tridion, so please clarify.

On a seperate note, it is more common to solve your challenge using metadata on folders. This gives you the benefit that your data is in one datastore, and can be Content Ported between environments.