Reusable online survey engine

1. A method for conducting an online survey having one or more questions, the method comprising:

maintaining a survey database, the database comprising the one or more questions and data identifying an input field type for each question;

receiving a request for the online survey;

in response to the request for the electronic survey, determining whether a previously compiled class file should be utilized to respond to the request, the previously compiled class file being separate from a survey database such that altering the online survey only requires altering the survey database and not the previously compiled class file;

in response to determining that the previously compiled class file should not be utilized to respond to the request, creating an executable class file capable of generating markup language for displaying the one or more questions and an at least one input field for each of the one or more questions in a web browser;

generating the markup language by executing the class file; and

returning the markup language as a response to the request for the online survey.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising maintaining a response table, the response table comprising the form name, the form name identifies a version number of the survey, a survey table, the survey table includes a question field that stores the one or more questions and a response field that stores the response associated with the one or more questions.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the executable class file can be reused without modification.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the executable class file is separate from the survey database such that altering the online survey only requires altering the survey database.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the survey database further comprises an application name corresponding to the online survey, the application name identifying a software application associated with at least one of the one or more questions, a form name, and a version number.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether the previously compiled class file should be utilized comprises determining whether the request for the online survey was a first request for the online survey.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether the previously compiled class file should be utilized comprises determining whether a web server operative to provide the online survey was reset since a last time the network resource was accessed.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the web server computer is operative to receive response data corresponding to the input fields and to store the response data in a database.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the survey database further comprises data indicating how the input fields for the one or more questions should be displayed.

10. A system for conducting an online survey having one or more questions, the system comprising:

a memory storage for maintaining a database; and

a processing unit coupled to the memory storage, wherein the processing unit is operative to:

maintain a survey database comprising said one or more questions and data identifying an input field type for each question;

maintain a response table, the response table comprising: a survey table, the survey table includes a question field that stores the one or more questions and a response field that stores the response associated with the one or more questions;

a network resource including the online survey; and

a software component for receiving and responding to requests for the online survey, the software component operative to:

determine whether a previously compiled class file should be utilized to respond to a request for the online survey, create an executable class file capable of generating markup language for displaying the one or more questions and the input fields in a web browser in response to determining that a previously compiled class file should not be utilized, the executable class file can be reused without modification,

execute the class file, and

respond to the request with said markup language generated by the execution of the class file.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the response table further comprises a form name, the form name identifies a version number of the online survey.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the survey database further comprising at least one of:

data display data for each of the one or more questions indicating how input fields for each of the one or more questions should be displayed,

sequence data for each of the one or more questions, the sequence data comprising sequence numbers indicating a sequence for the one or more questions, and

activation indicators comprising indicating whether each of the one or more questions should be included in the online survey and wherein the class file does not generate markup language for each of the one or more questions not to be included in the online survey.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the survey database further comprises an application name corresponding to the online survey, the application name identifies at least one of a software application associated with the one or more questions, a form name, and a version number.

14. The system of claim 10 , wherein the executable class file is separate from the survey database such that altering the online survey only requires altering the survey database.

15. The system of claim 10 , wherein the processing unit being operative to create the executable class file further comprises the processing unit being operative to:

determine which questions within the one or more questions are active questions based upon at least one activation indicator,

generate code for the executable class file required to display the active questions and response fields corresponding to the active questions, and

reorder the code for generating active questions based on at least one sequence number associated with the active questions.

16. The system of claim 10 , wherein the processing unit operative to determine whether the previously compiled class file should be utilized comprises the processing unit being operative to determine whether the request for the online survey was a first request for the online survey.

17. The system of claim 10 , wherein the processing unit operative to determine whether the previously compiled class file should be utilized comprises the processing unit being operative to determine whether a web server operative to provide the online survey was reset since a last time the online survey was accessed.

18. A computer-readable medium which stores a set of instructions which when executed performs a method for conducting an online survey having one or more questions, the method executed by the set of instructions comprising:

maintaining a survey database comprising an application name corresponding to the online survey, the application name identifies a software application associated with the one or more questions, a form name, and a version number;

determining whether a request has been received for a network resource that includes an electronic survey;

in response to determining that a request for the network resource has been received, determining whether a previously compiled class file should be utilized to respond to the request;

in response to determining that a previously compiled class file should not be utilized, creating an executable class file capable of retrieving the one or more questions and corresponding input fields from a survey database and generating content capable of displaying said questions and said input fields in a web browser, the executable class file can be reused without modification, wherein creating the executable class file comprises maintaining a response table, the response table comprising the form name, the form name identifies a version number of the survey, a survey table, the survey table includes a question field that stores the one or more questions and a response field that stores the response associated with the one or more questions; and

executing said class file and transmitting said content generated by said class file in response to said request.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18 , wherein determining whether a previously compiled class file should be utilized comprises determining whether the request for the network resource was a first request for the network resource.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 18 , wherein determining whether a previously compiled class file should be utilized comprises determining whether the request for the network resource was a first request for the network resource or whether a web server operative to provide the network resource was reset since the last time the network resource was accessed.