RE: File Storage - Database vs. File System
1) It depends - but in my experience most enterprises spend more money/time on data backup/restore than webserver backup/restore. This dependon your company of course. I don't find it any harder to restore files than data however - and with the data you've got referential integrity helping out to ensure that you've got everything you need as well. 2) You might want a file server - but now you've added another piece of hardware and its associated issues. To me having a file server or serving the file from the DB doesn't have much of a difference. Either solution will work fine - but with the DB you have some other benefits. 3) It depends on your infrastructure completely. In many enterprises web servers, being "public" are in the DMZ and are not accessible by any internal machines (and are SEVERELY limited in what internal machines they can access). Data servers on the other hand are almost always maintained in a more protected area (the "Bastion") and can be accessed by the DMZ (within strict limits) and the internal network. In other words in most enterprises a file path is the least of your worries - it's getting the firewalls cooperating. Like I said - all of this depends on your architectures. In general however I consider most files like this "data" and so should be in the database. That's an opinion however. But don't minimize the benefits from having referential integrity maintained automatically. A DB with a file path can't stop somebody (or something) from deleting a file. If that file were in the DB (and the proper rules were set up) you can, very easily. Still it all depends on circumstances. Jim Davis _ From: Calvin Ward [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, December 11, 2003 5:50 AM To: CF-Talk Subject: Re: File Storage - Database vs. File System For 1, isn't it often simpler to restore single files than it is to restore single rows? For 2, ideally, even if you are storing the file path in the db, wouldn't you want that file to exist in one place only and have the cluster access the 'file server'? For 3, wouldn't that be a non-issue if the file path is stored in the db? In that case the db knows where the file is and can be used to reference the file regardless of application. - Calvin - Original Message ----- From: Jim Davis To: CF-Talk Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2003 11:25 PM Subject: RE: File Storage - Database vs. File System The nice thing about storing the file in the DB is that all your data is maintained in one place. This has many benefits some of which are: 1) One data store, one clean backup, one clean restore. 2) No issues with cluster redundancy: the file is only stored in one place regardless of whether 1 or 20 servers use it. 3) The data can be leveraged for more than CF if need be. 4) You can leverage the databases built in referential integrity to great effect. That being said this does (among other things): 1) Place more stress on your DB environment. This can also depend on the types of files - are we talking small photos for photo IDs or 100 megabyte video files? 2) Make for more complex application code (although as always - build it right and it won't be complicated). 3) Use more (potentially very expensive) storage on the DB. 4) Potentially make your application slower. I've generally found that storing the information in the DB is great - but in use can be slow. So when performance counts and storage isn't an issue I store the information in the database and cache the file on the web server for use. The code first checks to see if the file exists and is the same date as the file in the DB - if not it pulls it form the DB and writes it to the web server. You can choose not to cache or handle the cache in any way you like - but if you've got the space the cache gives you best of both worlds. Jim Davis _ From: Jeff Chastain [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2003 10:11 PM To: CF-Talk Subject: File Storage - Database vs. File System I am working on an application where the user will have the option to upload files to the server. The project specifications are open in terms of storage of the files, so I am wondering what are the benefits or downsides of storing a file in the database vs. storing it in the file system? I have in the past stored files in a file system and used cfcontent to push the file back to the user, thereby hiding the file structure to the end user. However, this always runs into issues with duplicate file names. Suggestions? Thanks -- Jeff _ _ [Todays Threads] [This Message] [Subscription] [Fast Unsubscribe] [User Settings]
Re: File Storage - Database vs. File System
For 1, isn't it often simpler to restore single files than it is to restore single rows? For 2, ideally, even if you are storing the file path in the db, wouldn't you want that file to exist in one place only and have the cluster access the 'file server'? For 3, wouldn't that be a non-issue if the file path is stored in the db? In that case the db knows where the file is and can be used to reference the file regardless of application. - Calvin - Original Message - From: Jim Davis To: CF-Talk Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2003 11:25 PM Subject: RE: File Storage - Database vs. File System The nice thing about storing the file in the DB is that all your data is maintained in one place. This has many benefits some of which are: 1) One data store, one clean backup, one clean restore. 2) No issues with cluster redundancy: the file is only stored in one place regardless of whether 1 or 20 servers use it. 3) The data can be leveraged for more than CF if need be. 4) You can leverage the databases built in referential integrity to great effect. That being said this does (among other things): 1) Place more stress on your DB environment. This can also depend on the types of files - are we talking small photos for photo IDs or 100 megabyte video files? 2) Make for more complex application code (although as always - build it right and it won't be complicated). 3) Use more (potentially very expensive) storage on the DB. 4) Potentially make your application slower. I've generally found that storing the information in the DB is great - but in use can be slow. So when performance counts and storage isn't an issue I store the information in the database and cache the file on the web server for use. The code first checks to see if the file exists and is the same date as the file in the DB - if not it pulls it form the DB and writes it to the web server. You can choose not to cache or handle the cache in any way you like - but if you've got the space the cache gives you best of both worlds. Jim Davis _ From: Jeff Chastain [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2003 10:11 PM To: CF-Talk Subject: File Storage - Database vs. File System I am working on an application where the user will have the option to upload files to the server. The project specifications are open in terms of storage of the files, so I am wondering what are the benefits or downsides of storing a file in the database vs. storing it in the file system? I have in the past stored files in a file system and used cfcontent to push the file back to the user, thereby hiding the file structure to the end user. However, this always runs into issues with duplicate file names. Suggestions? Thanks -- Jeff _ [Todays Threads] [This Message] [Subscription] [Fast Unsubscribe] [User Settings]
RE: File Storage - Database vs. File System
The nice thing about storing the file in the DB is that all your data is maintained in one place. This has many benefits some of which are: 1) One data store, one clean backup, one clean restore. 2) No issues with cluster redundancy: the file is only stored in one place regardless of whether 1 or 20 servers use it. 3) The data can be leveraged for more than CF if need be. 4) You can leverage the databases built in referential integrity to great effect. That being said this does (among other things): 1) Place more stress on your DB environment. This can also depend on the types of files - are we talking small photos for photo IDs or 100 megabyte video files? 2) Make for more complex application code (although as always - build it right and it won't be complicated). 3) Use more (potentially very expensive) storage on the DB. 4) Potentially make your application slower. I've generally found that storing the information in the DB is great - but in use can be slow. So when performance counts and storage isn't an issue I store the information in the database and cache the file on the web server for use. The code first checks to see if the file exists and is the same date as the file in the DB - if not it pulls it form the DB and writes it to the web server. You can choose not to cache or handle the cache in any way you like - but if you've got the space the cache gives you best of both worlds. Jim Davis _ From: Jeff Chastain [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2003 10:11 PM To: CF-Talk Subject: File Storage - Database vs. File System I am working on an application where the user will have the option to upload files to the server. The project specifications are open in terms of storage of the files, so I am wondering what are the benefits or downsides of storing a file in the database vs. storing it in the file system? I have in the past stored files in a file system and used cfcontent to push the file back to the user, thereby hiding the file structure to the end user. However, this always runs into issues with duplicate file names. Suggestions? Thanks -- Jeff _ [Todays Threads] [This Message] [Subscription] [Fast Unsubscribe] [User Settings]
RE: File Storage - Database vs. File System
Use a dual approach... store the actual file somewhere on the Server, doesn't matter where and name it whatever you want (id number, guid, etc...) then store the file information in the DB (true file name, size, location on server, etc...). You pull the info from the DB and then you can cfcontent it out to the user. Then you can tie access to the file to whatever authentication schema you use in the DB... Make sense? Cheers, Jeff Garza _ From: Jeff Chastain [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2003 8:11 PM To: CF-Talk Subject: File Storage - Database vs. File System I am working on an application where the user will have the option to upload files to the server. The project specifications are open in terms of storage of the files, so I am wondering what are the benefits or downsides of storing a file in the database vs. storing it in the file system? I have in the past stored files in a file system and used cfcontent to push the file back to the user, thereby hiding the file structure to the end user. However, this always runs into issues with duplicate file names. Suggestions? Thanks -- Jeff _ [Todays Threads] [This Message] [Subscription] [Fast Unsubscribe] [User Settings]
