I would like to start building applications in flash with a database, but I am
nowhere ready to shell out the big bucks for Cold Fusion out of my own pocket.

Are there any other cheaper alternatives anybody might recommend to learning
how to work with a database?

Could I just do it if I signed up with a web host that had Cold Fusion?
Wouldn't I still need a copy on my local machine to create the database?

I have worked a lot with SQL databases.

Are there any other cheaper alternatives?

Thanks
Mathias

Is this a retired forum?