Database fundamentals
When you need a database
Decide when structured, durable, searchable data needs a database and when a file or in-memory value is enough.
8 minute lesson
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Use a database when data must survive restarts, be queried in several ways, enforce relationships, or support concurrent changes.
You do not need one for every program. A static configuration file or an in-memory array can be the simpler tool when the data is small and does not change independently.
Start with the requirements: what must be stored, who changes it, and how it must be retrieved.
Lesson completed