Re: Un Structured Data -- Sore In Side Database or Out Side Database?

From: Tim Gorman <tim_at_evdbt.com>
Date: Tue, 06 Nov 2007 10:49:38 -0700
Message-ID: <4730A932.8040609@evdbt.com>

In Oracle terms, this is the BFILE-vs-BLOB debate.

If the unstructured data (i.e. images, documents, etc) is inserted once and never modified afterwards, then you might consider storing it external to the database (i.e. BFILE).

But, if it will ever be modified at all, then it should be done within a transaction using a database that implements ACID properties. The issue is not only consistency within a transaction (which is hugely important,

especially in a multi-user environment), but consistency over time 
(durability), as file-system backups are (generally) not as capable at 
recovering to a point-in-time following restore as RDBMSs.  It would 

take only one restore to place the integrity of a database with external objects in serious doubt. This would be true even for unstructured data that is inserted once and never modified, of course.

Just my $0.02...

Bob Robert wrote:
> Gurus
>
> Is there any best practice where to store unstructured data? Is it
> inside of the database or our side of the database? I know keeping in
> side DB would force to increase DB size very rapidly. Please comment
> based no your experience
>
> Thanks
> Bob

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Received on Tue Nov 06 2007 - 11:49:38 CST