Given that the user can dynamically refine their query to manipulate the data showing in the list I'd save the result to a session variable & give the user an "Update" button to resynchronise to the database.
I wouldn't do this for "efficiency" or "performance" for the same reasons others have already stated, but just to avoid surprising the user with new rows suddenly appearing half way through their session. To my mind the fact that the likelihood of the data changing is low increases rather than decreases the wisdom of this choice ... when users are used to seeing the data change during a session it doesn't unsettle them nearly as much as when the data changes on them once a month or twice a year. Bruce On 31 January 2010 17:25, Richard Lake <[email protected]> wrote: > > The select list may need to be rebuilt a number of times as the user refines > their search. The query won’t vary and the likelihood that the results will > vary are low enough that saving the results in a session variable is > acceptable. I’d expect that the user would peruse the results for 10 to 60 > seconds before refining their search. > > > > My question is: should I save the query results in a session variable for > reuse or is the database efficient enough to cache the query results? > -- Bruce Clement When a co-worker said he didn't want his kids getting the H1N1 vaccine because it was too new and "they haven't tested it enough", I blurted out something like, "So you'd rather test a new and poorly understood virus on them instead?" I'm not entirely proud of fighting vague and irrational fear of the unknown by invoking vague and irrational fear of the unknown, but I think it did make an impression. Petréa Mitchell -- NZ PHP Users Group: http://groups.google.com/group/nzphpug To post, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe, send email to [email protected]
