Question

I currently have a table in MySQL that stores values normally, but I want to add a field to that table that stores an array of values, such as cities. Should I simply store that array as a CSV? Each row will need it’s own array, so I feel uneasy about making a new table and inserting 2-5 rows for each row inserted in the previous table.

I feel like this situation should have a name, I just can’t think of it 🙂

Edit

number of elements – 2-5 (a selection from a dynamic list of cities, the array references the list, which is a table)

This field would not need to be searchable, simply retrieved alongside other data.

Answer 1

The ‘right’ way would be to have another table that holds each value but since you don’t want to go that route a delimited list should work. Just make sure that you pick a delimiter that won’t show up in the data. You can also store the data as XML depending on how you plan on interacting with the data this may be a better route.