Book Image

Learning SQLite for iOS

By : Gene Da Rocha
Book Image

Learning SQLite for iOS

By: Gene Da Rocha

Overview of this book

The ability to use SQLite with iOS provides a great opportunity to build amazing apps. Apple's iOS SDK provides native support for SQLite databases. This combination offers the potential to create powerful, data-persistent applications. This book starts with the architecture of SQLite database and introduces you to concepts in SQL . You will find yourself equipped to design your own database system, administer it, and maintain it. Further, you will learn how to operate your SQLite databases smoothly using SQL commands. You will be able to extend the functionality of SQLite by using its vast arsenal of C API calls to build some interesting, exciting, new, and intelligent data-driven applications. Understand how Xcode, HTML5, and Phonegap can be used to build a cross-platform modern app which can benefit from all these technologies - all through creating a complete, customizable application skeleton that you can build on for your own apps.
Table of Contents (15 chapters)
Learning SQLite for iOS
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewer
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Index

Embedded databases


SQLite has been designed and developed to work and coexist with other applications and processes in its area. RDBMS is tightly integrated with the native application software that requires storing information but is masked, which is hidden from users, and it requires minimal administration or maintenance.

SQLite can work with different APIs hidden from users, and it requires minimal administration or maintenance areas.

The RDMS SQLite will also work with other applications:

  • It requires minimal supervision

  • There is no network traffic and access is faster since it is a file-based system

  • There are no network access conflicts or configurations

  • There are no access limitations with privileges or permissions

  • There is much reduced overheads

These make it easier and quicker to deploy your applications to app stores or other locations.

Figure 1, seen in this section, shows how different components work seamlessly together in a harmonized way to link up data with the SQLite library and other processes. These show how the Apache and C/C++ processes work together with the SQLite-C library to interface and link with it, so it becomes seamless and integrates with the operating system.

SQLite has been developed and integrated in such a way that it will interface and gel with a variety of applications and multiple solutions. As a lightweight RDBMS, it can stand on its own due to its versatility and is not cumbersome or too complex to benefit your application. It can be used on many platforms, and comes with a binary compatible format, which is easier to dovetail within your mobile application.

The different types of IT professionals will be involved with SQLite, since it holds the data, affects performance, and involves database design, user or mobile interface design specialists, analysts, and consultancy types. These professionals can use their existing knowledge of SQL to quickly grasp SQLite. SQLite can act as both data processor for information, or deal with data in the memory, to perform in an excellent manner.

Figure 1 also outlines how the different software pieces of a jigsaw can interface properly using the C API interface for SQLite with some other programming language code. For example, C or C++ code can be programmed to communicate with the SQLITE C API, which will then talk to the operating system and communicate with the database engine. Another language, such as PHP, can communicate using its own language data objects, which will, in turn, communicate with the SQLite C API and the database.

SQLite is a great database to learn, especially for computer scientists who want to use a tool that can open their minds to investigate caching, B-Tree structures and algorithms, database design architecture, and other concepts.

For more information of how SQLite sits within the other applications on a mobile device, see Figure 1:

Figure 1: C API interface to SQLite