How big is too big for arrays?

[AmyZ]

Hi there,

I'm new to large databases.

I would like to make a jagged array of size [50000][about 15][10]

Is this too big? I also want to make an ArrayList that will have about 50000 values in it.

Any advice appreciated

[AmyZ]

If arrays and arraylists aren't suitable for storing this much data, any ideas on better ways? Hash tables maybe??

Note: I've just worked out I would need to return to the database hundreds-of-millions of times if I worked with smaller arrays (I'm doing iterations with the data) so thats not really an option.

Cheers

[masher]

Arrays and Arraylists use integer indices, so Integer.MAX_VALUE would be as big as you could make it.

Of course, you're limited by available memory.

Also, if you're doing database things, you should probably use a database.

[AmyZ]

Thanks very much masher, this makes sense

[nspils]

Arrays/Lists are great for storing things while you are processing them but not great for search and retrieval. Hash tables, binary trees, maps, and other such structures are better for databases which implies (to me) that you want to search and retrieve more than process.

If your needs are for many records and long term use with meaningful relational use, then MySQL and other database packages are easily incorporated into your project.