There are three ways in which a Flash application can connect to a database:

using the XMLConnector component;
using a combination of XML and CGI;
using the XMLSocket class.

It is important to realize that there is no direct way of connecting Flash to a database;
an application is needed to act as an intermediary between Flash and the database. Each
of the methods described above uses this architecture—each in a slightly different way
and involving different Flash features.

The first method is well documented in the Flash help (Using Flash > Data Integration >
Data Connectivity).


The second method uses a combination of the XML class on the Flash side with a CGI
application on the server side, and is suitable in situations where network latency
is not an issue. This method uses a POST HTTP request to connect to the application
server. For a good explanation of this, see Flash help (ActionScript reference guide >
Working with external data > Sending and loading variables to and from a remote source >
Using the XML class).

The third method, which this article will focus on, is, for some reason, the least well
documented. It is however the one that offers the most control from a programmer's point
of view. It is also the most familiar metaphor of database interaction for a non-Flash
programmer. According to the Flash help, "XMLSocket … maintains an open connection to
the server, which allows the server to immediately send incoming messages without a
request from the client."

Important disdavantage with flash when it comes to dynamic web development is that they cannot directly connect to the database
They got to use few external components to connect to the databases