Sites use databases for all sorts of reasons.

Some typical uses are:

• Online stores - the stock and customer sales information are held in databases. Usually these are managed by specific ecommerce programs.

eg Woolworth's store    http://www.woolworths.co.uk/web/jsp/index.jsp - this one uses jsp for its connection

• Links databases and site forums eg Webdevonline.org Forum uses an online mySQL database
  called webdevo_vanillabb

• Information stored for customer access - estate agent house search and travel agent holidays eg Mercury Direct travel site eg   Right Move property databases
  

• Feedback and user information for interactive sites eg Webdevonline's Joomla and Drupal sites store the information for the forums, blogs, users etc in mySQL databases.

Record Store - this uses a mySQL database

Look at this demo of an online store using a MySQL database for users to purchase records on line

Click on link to log in to Distro store to see a fully working online record store.

There is an admin area which is used online to add records to the store's MySQL database

Learn South West Site Databases

Attractions - this is a MySQL database hosted in a Linux Apache server showing visitor attractions in South West England. Search this database for records

Honest Dave's Cars This is an MS Access database hosted on Window's server

RH Software - this is a CSV database of quality software for web site builders.