Array building speeds

php_dev

Hey All,

  In my script, I am attempting to build a session variable containing an array of items I got out of a recordset.  As I loop through the recordset in a while loop, I am using array_push to add those database values to my session array.  

The problem is that this process is taking way more time then should be required to build the array.  It takes 3 seconds to create.  I am posting my code, and if anyone knows of a function or technique to reduce the time--please let me know.  

[code=php]while($topics_row=oci_fetch_assoc($topics_query)){
	if($topics_row['IS_UNIVERSAL']==1){

array_push($_SESSION['univ_extra'],array('EXTRA_ID'=>$topics_row['EXTRA_ID'],
'EXTRA_ID'=>$topics_row['EXTRA_ID'],
'EXTRA_ID'=>$topics_row['EXTRA_ID'],))[/code]

The actual array contains 12 fields per row, I just included a few sample lines to show my code. Thanks for any help!

php_dev

laserlight

Suppose you don't build the array, i.e., you just retrieve the rows and do nothing. How long does it take?

php_dev

It is quick to grab the results--less than a second, but this array is used throughout the rest of the application, so continually SQLing for it is a waste of resources, thats why I wanted to put it into sessions. If I could do that upfront, I think it would make things more efficient throughout the rest of the site.

laserlight

php_dev wrote:
but this array is used throughout the rest of the application, so continually SQLing for it is a waste of resources, thats why I wanted to put it into sessions.

Storing and retrieving session data also involves file I/O, so there might not be that much of a gain there. If you are not going to use all of the array, then perhaps it would be better to select just what you need whenever you need it.

Still, I am a little surprised that the difference can be several seconds. How many rows are retrieved?

NogDog

Note that array_push() to add one element to an array is less efficient than using "$array[] =".

$_SESSION['univ_extra'][] = array('EXTRA_ID'=>$topics_row['EXTRA_ID'],
                                  'EXTRA_ID'=>$topics_row['EXTRA_ID'],
                                  'EXTRA_ID'=>$topics_row['EXTRA_ID']);

By no means do I suggest that will be a cure-all, but if you opt to stay with this general design it may save you a tiny bit of time per iteration.

php_dev

Thanks for the replies,

 It is a weird problem as I am positive that I have used this technique in the past without much issue.  The array coming back is usually anywhere from 25-50 records (hardly a size that deserves 3-4 seconds of process time).  During my speed tests, there was no clear difference between using array_push and the $array[] method, however I continue to try different combinations in hopes of slimming the time.

Definitely strange, and I will take any help I can get!

php_dev