SQLite — First choice every time
Updated August 08, 2016

SQLite — First choice every time

Aaron Bratcher | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with SQLite

SQLite provides a quick and easily accessible means to store data on the local mobile device. Because of it's broad inclusion in various devices, I can be sure of it's availability. When debugging applications, I can reliably get access to the contents of the file with a variety of available applications.
  • SQLite is readily available. It has been included with iOS for as long as there's been a way for 3rd party developers to write apps for it.
  • SQLite is small. When you think about the original iPhone and how little RAM it had, it's inclusion of SQLite is a testament to how little SQLite requires to work properly.
  • SQLite is fast. I've never had issues with the speed of data retrieval while using this product. When I think of local storage when creating an iOS app, the first thing I turn to is SQLite.
  • Better data recovery when the database becomes corrupt would be ideal. I've learned to minimize it by closing the database more frequently, but it can still happen.
  • Lack of built-in data encryption.
  • SQLite is a single-user DBMS. If a multi-user system is required, then an alternative is required.
  • SQLite's market penetration provided a means to bring our product to market quickly.
  • Ease of use let us focus on the product development without needing to learn a large API.
  • Free applications let us design our schema without fuss.
When looking at the original items available, Valentina was a serious contender. What was good about SQLite was the familiar SQL interface and way it accessed data. Valentina, at the time, had issues with index corruption requiring vigilance with the database maintenance making it difficult to use in the mobile space.
Most situations for local data storage can be easily handled by SQLite. If data encryption is needed, there are special builds available. Moving beyond the mobile space, SQLite is not designed for extremely large quantities of data or multi-user . Special consideration should be made of how much data is expected over the life of the product use. It is also not designed for simultaneous multi-user access.