When does serializing objects make more sense than persisting them to a
database? I'm new to object serialization, and I'm trying to get a feel for
when to use it.
Here is an example: I'm writing an accounting application. I have a chart of
accounts in the form of a containment hierarchy. A GeneralLedger contains a
number of Accounts, and each of these Accounts can contain a Aubledger,
which contains its own Accounts, and so on. The chart of accounts is loaded
when the app initializes and stays in memory until the app terminates. I
also have lots of transactions, which are read from the database and mapped
into Transaction objects as needed, using the chart of accounts to filter
the selection.
For a moment, disregard the database design issues involved. Does it make
sense to serialize a containment hierarchy like the chart of accounts,
rather than persisting it to the database? Is that how one would normally
use object serialization?
Thanks in advance!
--
Dave Veeneman
Chicago