Getting a control linked to a database record - beginners question

[JJ]

OK - I asked this earlier but thought I'd solved it. Clearly not.

I have a control that I need to display text from an sql database. The
control is being used as a web part so can be placed on a page more than
once.

I am trying to work out how I'd get each instance of the control to load its
corresponding database record to display the text?

I would normally do this sort of thing via a querystring, but in this case
its not going to be practical.

Could someone give me some hints on how I could get the control to know
which database record it needs without using querystrings?

What I think I need is a unique property value (unique on all pages) for
each control, that I can store in the database record.....??

Help!!

JJ

 

[JJ]

Perhaps if I could make each control id unique throughout the entire site, I
could use that to look up a specific row ?

 

[JJ]

I guess the url combined with the control id would be a unique value. My
concern then is if I allow a user to move the control (web part) to another
part of the page, I assume the control id would change. I'd therefore have
to work some way out of updating this in the record.

Anyone have any suggestions?