Archive/Import/Overview

Sqlite vs XOWA text file hive

XOWA text file advantages:

• Faster import: Writing to a text file is quick. fr.wikipedia.org imports in about 19 minutes whereas sqlite takes about 45 minutes
• Universal format: Text files are more ubiquitous than a sqlite database.
• No binary dependence: Almost anything can read a text file; one needs platform-specific binaries to read sqlite

Advantages of sqlite

• Fewer files: A wiki can be stored in one sqlite file (or several). The XOWA text file hive requires many thousands
• Simpler development: SQL can be used to select / update records. XOWA includes a lot of code to provide similar functionality.
• Slightly faster reading: Sqlite allows quicker retrieval when a wiki page has many templates / modules. This speed difference is dependent on the size of the wiki and the disk drive / memory card. Simple Wikipedia may be significantly faster. English Wikipedia may be marginally fasater.