Should I be using Core Data?

Question

I have developed an app that downloads the whole dataset into an array of objects. Should I be using core data to store the data? Aside from having some off-line data at hand for the user, are there any other advantages?

Thanks,

Steve

Answer 1

It's difficult to say with so little information. But if you need to store and access a bunch of data in iOS, Core Data is usually a good option.

It's obviously more complex than just storing the data in files (an array/dictionary can write its contents to disk) but you get a lot of other stuff for "free." Nice things include NSFetchResultController which means you can push your data into a table view with very little code. It makes things like undo and transactions easier.

Another option is using SQLite directly. If you know SQL and your data structure doesn't easily fit into an object graph (for whatever reason) or you want more control than Core Data can give you, it can be a good option.