Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list

From	Roy Smith <roy@panix.com>
Newsgroups	comp.lang.python
Subject	Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list
Date	2013-11-03 07:16 -0500
Organization	PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC
Message-ID	<roy-D613E2.07164103112013@news.panix.com> (permalink)
References	<l52pdo$k0f$1@dont-email.me> <mailman.1951.1383398828.18130.python-list@python.org> <l5391q$9in$1@dont-email.me> <bdm7fiF28rrU1@mid.individual.net>

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In article <bdm7fiF28rrU1@mid.individual.net>,
 Gregory Ewing <greg.ewing@canterbury.ac.nz> wrote:

> Nick the Gr33k wrote:
> > I just want a mysql column type that can be eligible to store an array 
> > of elements, a list that is, no need for having a seperate extra table 
> > for that if we can have a column that can store a list of values.
> 
> Relational database systems typically don't provide any
> such type, because it's not the recommended way of storing
> that kind of data in a relational database.
> 
> The recommended way is to use a secondary table, as has
> been pointed out.

Most SQL databases allow you to store arbitrary data as an opaque value 
(i.e. BLOB).  So, one possibility would be to just serialize your list 
(pickle, json, whatever) and store it that way.  I've seen databases 
that didn't use BLOB, but just stored json in a string field.

The limitation, of course, is that the data is opaque as far as the 
database goes; you can't do queries against it.  But, if all you need to 
do is store the list and be able to retrieve it, it's a perfectly 
reasonable thing to do, and a lot more efficient than doing a join on a 
secondary table.

Normalization is for database weenies :-)

Thread

How to add a current string into an already existing list Nick the Gr33k <nikos.gr33k@gmail.com> - 2013-11-02 13:58 +0200
  Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Andreas Perstinger <andipersti@gmail.com> - 2013-11-02 14:03 +0100
    Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Nick the Gr33k <nikos.gr33k@gmail.com> - 2013-11-02 18:25 +0200
      Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Denis McMahon <denismfmcmahon@gmail.com> - 2013-11-02 16:43 +0000
        Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list rusi <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2013-11-02 10:40 -0700
          Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2013-11-02 18:28 +0000
          Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Jussi Piitulainen <jpiitula@ling.helsinki.fi> - 2013-11-02 20:30 +0200
            Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-11-03 08:50 +1100
              Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Roy Smith <roy@panix.com> - 2013-11-02 18:00 -0400
                Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-11-03 09:13 +1100
          Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Walter Hurry <walterhurry@lavabit.com> - 2013-11-02 21:12 +0000
      Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Gregory Ewing <greg.ewing@canterbury.ac.nz> - 2013-11-03 19:06 +1300
        Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Antoon Pardon <antoon.pardon@rece.vub.ac.be> - 2013-11-03 10:56 +0100
        Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Roy Smith <roy@panix.com> - 2013-11-03 07:16 -0500
          Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-11-04 00:13 +1100
          Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Nick the Gr33k <nikos.gr33k@gmail.com> - 2013-11-04 19:03 +0200
            Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Denis McMahon <denismfmcmahon@gmail.com> - 2013-11-04 22:46 +0000
              Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Nick the Gr33k <nikos.gr33k@gmail.com> - 2013-11-05 08:54 +0200
                Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Nick the Gr33k <nikos.gr33k@gmail.com> - 2013-11-05 10:07 +0200
                Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-11-05 19:21 +1100
                Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Nick the Gr33k <nikos.gr33k@gmail.com> - 2013-11-05 10:53 +0200
                Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Nick the Gr33k <nikos.gr33k@gmail.com> - 2013-11-05 10:54 +0200
                Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list "M.F." <morefool@gmail.com> - 2013-11-05 17:10 +0800
                Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Nick the Gr33k <nikos.gr33k@gmail.com> - 2013-11-05 11:34 +0200
                Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Nick the Gr33k <nikos.gr33k@gmail.com> - 2013-11-05 11:56 +0200
                Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Antoon Pardon <antoon.pardon@rece.vub.ac.be> - 2013-11-05 11:20 +0100
                Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Nick the Gr33k <nikos.gr33k@gmail.com> - 2013-11-05 12:33 +0200
                Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Antoon Pardon <antoon.pardon@rece.vub.ac.be> - 2013-11-05 11:59 +0100
                Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Dave Angel <davea@davea.name> - 2013-11-05 05:16 -0600
                Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Nick the Gr33k <nikos.gr33k@gmail.com> - 2013-11-05 18:20 +0200
                Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2013-11-05 11:49 +0000
                Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Nick the Gr33k <nikos.gr33k@gmail.com> - 2013-11-05 14:25 +0200
                Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Antoon Pardon <antoon.pardon@rece.vub.ac.be> - 2013-11-05 13:42 +0100
                Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Dave Angel <davea@davea.name> - 2013-11-05 07:15 -0600
                Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Nick the Gr33k <nikos.gr33k@gmail.com> - 2013-11-05 17:39 +0200
                Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Tim Chase <python.list@tim.thechases.com> - 2013-11-05 09:45 -0600
                Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Nick the Gr33k <nikos.gr33k@gmail.com> - 2013-11-05 17:50 +0200
                Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Dave Angel <davea@davea.name> - 2013-11-05 23:36 -0600
                Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2013-11-06 08:53 +0000
                Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Joel Goldstick <joel.goldstick@gmail.com> - 2013-11-05 10:44 -0500
                Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Dave Angel <davea@davea.name> - 2013-11-05 05:00 -0600
                Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Denis McMahon <denismfmcmahon@gmail.com> - 2013-11-05 17:48 +0000
                Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Antoon Pardon <antoon.pardon@rece.vub.ac.be> - 2013-11-05 11:07 +0100
                Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Larry Hudson <orgnut@yahoo.com> - 2013-11-05 20:52 -0800
                Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-11-05 21:01 +1100
                Re: How to add a current string into an already existing list Antoon Pardon <antoon.pardon@rece.vub.ac.be> - 2013-11-05 09:39 +0100

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