Rails - May 2005 - Which data structure to use for semi static data?

Putting that in the database would make the most sense to me.  The  
time to access a database is usually equal to or less than the time  
to load a text file.  In addition, it would only take ten to twenty  
minutes to build the scaffold you''d need to edit / add / delete  
apartment or building information.

Duane Johnson
(canadaduane)

On May 29, 2005, at 2:56 PM, Matthew Margolis wrote:
> I have a three level deep hierarchy  building > apartment > room.   
> The listing will only change once a year and will consist of a  
> hefty number of subtractions and just a few additions.  I will be  
> using each level in the hierarchy as a limiting factor in choosing  
> which items to show from the level below it in an option select box  
> in a form using some ajax.
>
> So to start you would have a drop down labeled building.  If you  
> choose building ''10'' an ajax request will be made that
will create
> the code to render a drop down that lists all the apartments in  
> building ''10''.  When you chose the apartment an ajax
request will
> be made that will render a drop down list with all the rooms in  
> that specific apartment.
>
> With this knowledge how would you recommend that I store my  
> hierarchy in my application?  It doesn''t change very often so I
was
> thinking that maybe I should not throw it in the db.  If I keep it  
> purely in code as some sort of class or hash structure then I
won''t
> have to hit the db so often and initial setup could be done inside  
> of a text editor as opposed to the having to use funky sql syntax  
> or slow phpmyadmin record entry forms.
>
>
> Thank you,
> Matthew Margolis
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On 29 May 2005, at 21:29, Duane Johnson wrote:
> Putting that in the database would make the most sense to me.  The  
> time to access a database is usually equal to or less than the time  
> to load a text file.  In addition, it would only take ten to twenty  
> minutes to build the scaffold you''d need to edit / add / delete  
> apartment or building information.
+1. Don''t forget, premature optimisation is the root of all evil:  
http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?PrematureOptimization

I have a three level deep hierarchy  building > apartment > room.  The 
listing will only change once a year and will consist of a hefty number 
of subtractions and just a few additions.  I will be using each level in 
the hierarchy as a limiting factor in choosing which items to show from 
the level below it in an option select box in a form using some ajax.

So to start you would have a drop down labeled building.  If you choose 
building ''10'' an ajax request will be made that will create
the code to
render a drop down that lists all the apartments in building
''10''.  When
you chose the apartment an ajax request will be made that will render a 
drop down list with all the rooms in that specific apartment.

With this knowledge how would you recommend that I store my hierarchy in 
my application?  It doesn''t change very often so I was thinking that 
maybe I should not throw it in the db.  If I keep it purely in code as 
some sort of class or hash structure then I won''t have to hit the db so
often and initial setup could be done inside of a text editor as opposed 
to the having to use funky sql syntax or slow phpmyadmin record entry 
forms.


Thank you,
Matthew Margolis

Matthew Margolis wrote:
> With this knowledge how would you recommend that I store my hierarchy
> in my application?  It doesn''t change very often so I was thinking
> that maybe I should not throw it in the db.  If I keep it purely in
> code as some sort of class or hash structure then I won''t have to
hit
> the db so often and initial setup could be done inside of a text
> editor as opposed to the having to use funky sql syntax or slow
> phpmyadmin record entry forms.
>
you could put it into a YAML file that is loaded upon startup of your
application (e.g. from environment.rb). This way, you only need to parse
the file once. Of course this means, you''ll have to restart your webapp
whenever you change the data.

Sebastian