query SQLServer data and display on web page

[Bryan Keith]

Hello,

I'm new to MapServer and web programming.  Some of the MapServer 
information seems to be geared toward people with minimal spatial data 
experience rather than minimal web experience.  I have MapServer 
installed, and I'm able to display a static map with raster layers, 
vector layers, and web services.  I have zoom and pan buttons on my 
application (from chameleon).

Now I'd like to retrieve point data that's stored in SQLServer.  The X 
and Y values are stored in the db as numeric fields, not as geometries. 
  Do I need to make a shapefile to display these on the map?  Do I need 
to get these into Postgresql and display via ogr?  First I'd like to 
show all the locations and be able to query the locations on the map.

In a separate table in SQLServer I have groundwater analytical results. 
Eventually I want the user to select an analyte, date range, and a few 
other criteria and show those results on the map.  e.g., let's see all 
the groundwater locations tested for arsenic in April 2003.  They'll be 
displayed with colored symbols depending on their concentrations.  Since 
I don't know much about web programming, I'm not sure exactly what my 
questions should be, but here goes: what would the workflow look like? 
Here's a possibility: have a query button that brings up a page where 
the user can select the query criteria (written in html? or ?  I could 
get help from one of our db guys if he could do this in asp.net.), make 
a shapefile?, use mapscript to modify the mapfile?, make the image and 
reload the page?  Is that the general idea?

Any tips, links to help pages or tutorials are appreciated.

Bryan

Bryan Keith
GIS Specialist
Geomega, Inc.
Boulder, CO, USA