connect to SQL db on website ? (+ send email)

1. If I wanted to send email based on polling of data held in an SQL db
hosted on a website, what would be the best way to do it?
(i.e purchase a dedicated server, write and install a service and get the
service to send to ISP's SMTP server ?)
2. If I wanted to connect to an SQL DB hosted on a website what would be the
best way ?
(open port and connect over SSL ?)
Thanks for any information
ScottScott,
Here is a simple function I wrote to send email in VB.NET. You were not
specific to any programming language.
Private Sub SendEmail(ByVal Path As String, Optional ByVal Body As
String = "", Optional ByVal Too As String = "default@.default.com")
Dim SendMessage As New SmtpClient
Dim Message As MailMessage = New
MailMessage("from@.somewhere.com", Too, "Foo", Body)
Dim App As Attachment
If Path.Length > 0 And File.Exists(Path) Then
App = New Attachment(Path)
Message.Attachments.Add(App)
End If
SendMessage.Host = "" 'ServerName or IP Address of SMTP Server
goes here.
SendMessage.Send(Message)
End Sub
This function was created in VS 2005 using the .net framework 2.0