text file vs database ...

[Anon]

I am looking for an opinion rather than a solution...

I am created a profile website where users can choose from multiple profile page templates. Each template of coarse has default information that is required and the rest of the template has been information and questionnaires which gives each template its unique look.

Within the database I have a user table and profile table. Inside the profile table is the information that is common between each 50 templates, and index for search. Now the rest of information that the user would supply that is not common, should I create a different table for each template.. Or can I create text file for each user containing this information? For speed which version would you go with?

Text file or database template tables...

[Anon]

database definatly, faster, more secure, more options, and less prone to hellish code. The only thing I use flatfilesfor is when I'm doing an open source project and have to worry about if the person downloading the code has a database that's compatible.

But by all means, if you HAVE a database, use it, in my opinion its all around better (except for open source projects).

[tasistro]

I would definetly use the file method. Since each user has a profile you can link user ID to a file and then save all his profile info there. Only if you need to do a querry on the profile info should you set that info in a database.

For example:

$userprofile=@file("profiles/profile".$userID);
if ($userprofile===false)
{
// ups no file
}
else
{
// handle file data here
}

makes the users profile configuration instantlly available in the $userprofile info.

otherwise

$sql_cmd="SELECT * FROM %profiletable% where userID=".$userID.");
$sql_profile=mysql_query($sql_cmd,$db) or die ("UPS ERROR HERE<br>SQL:".$sql_cmd);
if (mysql_num_rows($sql_profile)>0)
{
$profile_row=mysql_fetch_array($sql_profile);
$userprofile=$profile_row["profile"];
// handel profile data here
}
else
{
// exception code here
}

is equally good but requires a whole lot more resources...you call the ball!

Saludos
Gerardo

[[deleted]]

Use a database.

When you use flatfiles you will end up writing your own database-ish interface anyway, so save yourself a ton of work and use a database.

[jsagara]

Database!
Database!
Database!

Avoid the noid. Databases are so easy to use in terms of finding data, massaging it, and then re-inserting it. The list goes on and on and on, so like one of the previous posters said, if you have a database, use it! 🙂

[tasistro]

Vincent and Jon, I'll agree with you in the fact that dbases give you a lot of benefits and cut down on programing overhead. yet I clearly stated, if you only need to save config data and DO NOT need to search through the config variables (as in where backgroundcolor=black) and only require info on the user config. Using flat files is a way lot faster then doing a search for the config data in the dbase. You generate the filename from the posted data and open it.

I find no reason in dumping all that data in a dbase when I don't need search that data in any way other than a "primary key" which could very well be the filename.

Saludos
Gerardo

[Anon]

But if you have 10,000 users, then you're going to have 10,000 files in some directory. Do you really want that? I'd rather spare myself all that clutter and store it all in a database, no matter how simple the queries are.

[Anon]

This could also lead to issues with inodes...

[[deleted]]

Well, as Gerardo mentioned, what if you get 50k users? (it happens) You'd have to create a storage routine that creates subdirectories etc. very messy.

"and DO NOT need to search through the config variables"

that is the point, such files are very rare.
And where they do exist they complement dynamic data from a database, in which case it is better to just put everything in the database and save the extra hit on the filesystem.

Speed is important, but not paramount.

Imagine if your system has 10k users, and you want to change one particular setting for each user. Do you really plan to change 10k files?

And what if your system crashes while it is re-writing the config file? Databases are prepared for that, the filesystem is not.

Flatfiles are very fast (which is why sessions use them by default) but they are also rapidly becoming redundant.
In a good database setup, a database call may even be faster than the filesystem providing the query is simple enough.

But the main point is maintainability. There is no way on this earth that you can make a flatfile system as easy to maintain as a database. You'll end up writing pages and pages of code just to be able to work with the flatfiles, and what you end up with will look like... a database. 🙂