ColdFusion is the brain on the main server that makes your applications smarter.

• ColdFusion is application server software
• ColdFusion is a scripting language
• ColdFusion integrates your database with your HTML code
• ColdFusion connects to other cutting-edge technologies

The internet server has many software applications installed on it, but the three most pertinent ones to the developer are the FTP server software, the web server software and the ColdFusion MX 7 server software. While the first two merely deal with moving files around, ColdFusion actually processes data and interacts with other systems.

Like HTML, ColdFusion is a scripting language that uses tags to give directions. While HTML directs the browser with display and formatting commands, ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML) directs the ColdFusion MX 7 application server to process data, manage user information, and connect to other applications.

By naming your ColdFusion pages with .cfm file extensions, you are asking the ColdFusion server to process them. You can create CFM pages from scratch or you can take your existing HTML pages and use an HTML editor like Dreamweaver MX 2004 to save them with the new file extension.

Using only two CFML tags, you can grab hundreds or even thousands of rows of data from the database and display them in your pages. With the new ColdFusion MX 7 features, like enhanced reporting and charting, it has become even easier to quickly create attractive and informative displays.

The power of ColdFusion server does not stop with database integration. ColdFusion MX 7 can connect to other application servers and all the newest and cutting-edge technologies.