Piercing the Veil

Apologies for using this damn thing in such a crass way, but I have a quick question for you smart programmer/web developer types out there.

I need suggestions for the best way to implement a searchable database into a website I'm working on. The site is hosted on a Unix box with a MySQL database.

What I need to do, in a nutshell, is be able to make a database of bonuses searchable by a dozen or so parameters, from a single web page. The database itself will be relatively small, likely less than 1000 entries. Each entry will have a dozen or so fields. I'll need to update the database fairly frequently as terms change. I'd like some control on the website side, as far as how the results of the search are displayed. Users simply need to be able to view results of the search, with no editing permissions necessary.

Being the tightwad I am, I'd prefer a freeware/shareware solution. Or at least something under $100. I'm also a grunt monkey when it comes to this stuff, so the easier to implement the better. I do know how to get most PHP/CGI scripts up and running, though, and can modify permissions, and related jazz, so I'm not a total nitwit when it comes to this stuff. I just have no experiences with databases at all.

Many thanks for any suggestions. Rock on.