I'm not so sure there are "several" drawbacks. For me there certainly are more advantages to using a DOM instead of a comma separted list.
What if you need to have commas and semi-colons within your values? Also and I'm not saying you're wrong but what makes you think converting a comma-separated list to an array is much faster - I haven't noticed any difference. A DOM stores the data and can also describe the data in any number of ways. To be able to describe data in a number of ways using arrays would surely be a lot more database overhead? --- Ben Johansen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Multi-dimensional arrays :-) > You could store the description and the return value > > There are several drawbacks > 1. All clients reading in would have to be able to > work with DOM objects > 2. Overhead, converting a comma-separated list to an > array is much > faster > > Ben Johansen - http://www.pcforge.com > Authorized Witango & MDaemon Reseller > Available for Witango Developement > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Chuck Lockwood [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Tuesday, October 14, 2003 8:00 AM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: RE: Witango-Talk: Dom object stored in DB > column > > > As I remember he had a system with questions which > had > > any number of anwers - since it was unpredictable > the > > number of possible answers to a question storing > the > > DOM in a database meant that he didn't need n > number > > of columns in a table (for each answer) > > Although all replies so far have been very > thoughtful and meaningful, > thank > you very much, the above comes closest to dealing > with my specific > question. > > I currently accomplish the same result by storing an > array in a text > column. > Like this: "std,sen,,,inc,pre;". I can retrieve > the records I want by > using "where columnName contains 'inc'" and then > convert the value to an > array for further manipulation. > > Is there a benefit to using a DOM for this purpose > instead? > > Chuck Lockwood > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > LockData Technologies, Inc. > 309 Main Avenue, Hawley, Pa 18428 > 570-226-7340 ~ Fax: 570-226-7341 > [EMAIL PROTECTED] ~ www.lockdata.com > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: witango man [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Sent: Monday, October 13, 2003 7:07 PM > > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Subject: Re: Witango-Talk: Dom object stored in DB > column > > > > > > It was Fergal (and maybe Scott too) who > demonstrated > > this at the conference..... > > > > As I remember he had a system with questions which > had > > any number of anwers - since it was unpredictable > the > > number of possible answers to a question storing > the > > DOM in a database meant that he didn't need n > number > > of columns in a table (for each answer) > > > > - storing it as a DOM - meant the way the data was > > stored was very flexible - as in more/less records > > more/less attributes for records - this is the > biggest > > advantage for me... > > > > he helped me through doing this stuff a few months > ago > > and now I use it all the time.... > > > > --- Chuck Lockwood <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > At the conference, someone demonstrated using a > Dom > > > stored in a column and > > > did a search for records based on an element > value. > > > What is the > > > advantages/disadvantages to using this > technique? > > > > > > Opinions? > > > > > > Chuck Lockwood > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > LockData Technologies, Inc. > > > 309 Main Avenue, Hawley, Pa 18428 > > > 570-226-7340 ~ Fax: 570-226-7341 > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] ~ www.lockdata.com > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ________________________________________________________________________ > > > TO UNSUBSCRIBE: Go to > > http://www.witango.com/maillist.taf > > > > > > __________________________________ > > Do you Yahoo!? > > The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product > search > > http://shopping.yahoo.com > > > ________________________________________________________________________ > > TO UNSUBSCRIBE: Go to > http://www.witango.com/maillist.taf > > > > > ________________________________________________________________________ > TO UNSUBSCRIBE: Go to > http://www.witango.com/maillist.taf > > > ________________________________________________________________________ > TO UNSUBSCRIBE: Go to http://www.witango.com/maillist.taf __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product search http://shopping.yahoo.com ________________________________________________________________________ TO UNSUBSCRIBE: Go to http://www.witango.com/maillist.taf
