Trying to eliminate multiple database connections with AJAX script

gamew0rld

I have an AJAX drag and drop script. It allows me to drag and drop divs on a page. Right now, I have it so as soon as you release a DIV, the AJAX script calls a PHP file which saves the location to a database. This works fine, but I am afraid that if my site has a lot of traffic, that all of these multiple database connections will really slow down my website since it saves every time a DIV is moved around.

I was then thinking about instead of automatically storing the information in the database, that the information is stored in an array within a cookie or session. However, I would then have to have a 'Save' button on my site to have the changes written to the database which I prefer not to have, but if its necessary, I will.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to the best method to go about storing this data so I dont slow down my site with all of these database connections?

Thanks in advance!

Joe

thorpe

What makes you think database connections are slow?

goldlikesnow

Databases are not slow, connecting to a database is slowing down the proccess. and you're right that it will slow down and will use to much resources like bandwidth, cpu, etc..

Why not store it in a cookie wifth the use of AJAX and php and keep the data tied to the user?

gamew0rld

thorpe, I didnt mean to say that they are slow, I was just saying that every time you drag an object, it saves to the database, and if people are draging 1 pixel at a time to try and position an object perfectly, that could be a dozen times that I am saving the position to the database when they are only moving 1 object. I wasnt sure if 100's of people doing this at the same time, if it would slow down my site at all.

goldlikesnow, thats what I was thinking. But wasnt sure if writing the cookie every time would be better than writing to the database.

The php page that the AJAX script calls will be the same size no matter if I connect to the database or write the cookie, so if there isnt much difference (speed-wise) in executing a query and writing the cookie, then wouldnt I be better off executing a query so I dont have to do it later?

Thanks!

help_wanted

do a speed test.

this page took X seconds to load...

run it on the cookie, and run it on the mysql version... what ever one is quiker you sould use.

Weedpacket

gamew0rld wrote:
But wasnt sure if writing the cookie every time would be better than writing to the database.

Well, considering that the cookie would be on the client's own machine, while the database is typically sitting on another computer entirely at the other end of a network connection..... surely you see that there is somewhat more work involved in performing the latter operation?

Why not just have a "save" button and upload all the changes to the server at once? Using an http transaction for every single fiddly little thing is just silly.