What content does Tridion Content Delivery fetch from its database?

1
votes

We are using Tridion 5.3.

I am looking to explore more on Content Delivery side. We have .NET implementation of Content Delivery.

To deploy the content to database we have a website configured in IIS (where we have httpupload.asp file). This website generally puts the content to a MS SQL Server database.

We have one more site in IIS which serves our website.

I want to understand how the content is fetched from database and served through this website. Because when I see home directory of this website I can find almost all pages (.aspx) there in the folder itself.

So can anyone help me in understanding how they are fetched from database and kept in home directory?

2
tridion
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2 Answers

3
votes

The .aspx pages are not fetched from Database, but are placed on your docroot. Your HttpUpload is doing that, check your cd_broker_conf.xml.

I would recommend to go through the documentation to understand the bindings in cd_broker_conf.xml (in 5.3, SDL Tridion R5 Content Delivery Project Planning Guide 5.3 SP1.pdf). You will have bindings for pages and content, you can configure where the content or pages stored (Docroot property at Publication Node).

You might be just storing content (Components/ComponentPresentations) and metadata in database, but storing the binaries and pages on the filesystem, which is very common. I don't believe in Tridion 5.3 you have an option to store pages in DB (don't remember on top of my head - unless you use CWA).

2
votes

You can use the storage (broker) content delivery API nearly the same options between .NET and Java presentation sites all the way back to R5.3. For example retrieve or filter:

  • Component Metadata (called custom metadata on the delivery side)
  • Component Presentations, rendered content published as .ascx or to the database (for ASP.NET, though other options are available)
  • Binaries
  • Pages
  • Linking information (e.g. bath to a binary)

Pages may come from Tridion or be part of your .NET Website or application.

The basics behind using the broker queries in 5.3 would be to optionally filter and retrieve select component identifiers (tcmids), then retrieve the appropriate Dynamic Component Presentations. The specific setup depends on requirements.

I believe getting category and keyword information was harder at least for R5.3 with .NET (but possible with some creative XSLT).

If you only get to use R5.3 for a month, I'd recommend focusing on Tridion 2011 unless this includes a delivery-side code upgrade. Otherwise, visit this appropriately dated (circa 2009) TridionWorld article on ASP.NET approaches.