php/mysql which is more efficient - multiple queries, or search key/value from array?

[pedalpete]

I'm building a calendar site, and am wondering if I've gone wrong in the way I have structured it.

Right now, I take the date of each cell, and pass it as a query to mysql and put the response in that cell output.
That was the easy way to do it.
But now i realize I could have selected dates between, and then used php to search the returned array for the date and then find the cell which matches that date and put the value in that cell.

The second way seems much more complicated, but I am concerned about long-term efficiency. Can anybody tell me which way is more efficient?

Here's an example of the code I have now

 
echo"</tr><tr class=\"notes\"><td>$first_name $last_name Notes</td>";
 
$un=0;
$newDate3 = date('y/m/d', mktime(0,0,0, $month, $day+$un, $year));
 
while($un<7){
$queryUserNote = "SELECT notes.note FROM notes WHERE date = '$newDate3' AND uid = '$uid'";
$resultUserNote = mysql_query($queryUserNote)or die(mysql_error('could not get personal notes'));
 
$userNoteArray=mysql_fetch_array($resultUserNote);
$userNote = $userNoteArray['note'];
 
echo "<td class=\"notes\">$userNote</td>";
$un++;
}
 

thanks for your help,
Pete

[MarkoKlacar]

Hi,

My guess would be to select all the dates using a MySQL statement and then looping through the result array.

If you display a whole year you have a maximum of 365(+leap year) iterations and one SQL statement, otherwise you end up with 365(+leap year) SQL statements...

Hope I understood you correctly..

Good Luck

[pedalpete]

I happy that this maybe isn't an obvious question.

If I have about 365 queries, the majority will likely return null, so I can't just iterate through the sql response, I have to actually check that the date is in the results

eg, for each day, I have to use php to check the entire sql returned array and then it has to decide either
1 - the date is not in the array ( the result for that day was null)
2 - the date is in the array and put that data into the proper cell in the table.

I'm not sure if I clarified this or made it more confusing.
programatically, I think it is MUCH easier to query each day for data rather then querying the response array for the date and then getting the data.

Hi,

My guess would be to select all the dates using a MySQL statement and then looping through the result array.

If you display a whole year you have a maximum of 365(+leap year) iterations and one SQL statement, otherwise you end up with 365(+leap year) SQL statements...

Hope I understood you correctly..

Good Luck

[MarkoKlacar]

Hi,

You're probably looking at the same latency no matter what solution you choose.
Just as long as it woks.