Does your online store have more than a few dozen products? Do you need to update or change those products frequently? Would you like to reduce your maintenance costs to a minimum?

If you answered "yes" to any of those questions, then you are ready for a database-driven shopping cart. We learned about these programs in previous columns. Now let's look at a specific example.

Don't expect a ready-made shopping cart to be the answer to all of your problems. Many just create new problems. Always do your homework and find out what other users think of any program you consider.

I recently set up a copy of MivaMerchant at my Web site. The documentation is well written with lots of illustrations. It is easy to use and maintain. Best of all, it is included free with the Web site hosting package that I signed up for.

The cart must be installed on your Web server. This is done by your Web host provider. You log in to the store administration URL and create and maintain your store..

You can change many defaults. It is easy to change the background color or use your own background image. Change the fonts if you dare, or just change their color. If you live life in the fast lane, try changing the navigational bar or adding your own logo and navigation buttons in a frame..

MivaMerchant comes with complete source code, for people who are completely foolish and might enjoy shooting themselves in the foot. If you ruin your store, it must be re-installed from scratch by your hosting service. This costs about $200.

Products can be assigned to one or more categories. Each product can have a variety of options (color, size, etc.) that may also increase or decrease the price. Products can be located by lists of categories, by a built-in search utility, or by direct links from your main Web site.

There are a variety of tax and shipping options available. You can also accept credit card payments using any of several popular credit card processors.

Visit http://www.netnation.com for information about their E-Commerce Web site hosting options. They have links to MivaMerchant where you can view several demos. Also check out the extensive customer support areas they provide, to help you learn how to best use MivaMerchant.

Don't presume that you need MivaMerchant. Check it out, then check out other similar products. Find the product that works best for your specific situation.

Note: This logically concludes our series on E-Commerce management. It also concludes my column for the immediate future. Thanks to all of you readers who have provided valuable feedback, and to Rohn, for allowing me to share my very pig-headed thoughts with you all. Good luck with your Web site adventures!