Question

I work with Apache, PHP, and MySQL for web development and local applications. For the past couple of years I have slowly been learning C++ and want to build an application this summer. Specifically, I want to make a "library" application in which I can store information about the books, CDs, and records that I own. I know this type of app exists, but I want to learn C++ and this seems like a good way to go about it.

Here are a few questions:

1. Is it possible to create a stand-alone application that does not require a database for storing data?

2. If the answer to #1 above is "yes", is it a good idea to do this for an application that could potentially need to manage a lot of data?

3. What data-storage options would you recommend for use with a C++ application?

Thanks!

Update
Well, there were a lot of good answers to this. This is such a great site with so many contributors. It turns out that I might not really need to go the C++ route for now. I now realize that I am most interested in writing an application that can function as a "library" organizational system more than I want to pursue C++. Thanks to everybody for your answers!

Answer 1

Is it possible to create a stand-alone application that does not require a database for storing data?

Yes, you could do some sort of custom file format for storing data.

If the answer to #1 above is “yes”, is it a good idea to do this for an application that could potentially need to manage a lot of data?

It’s not really a good idea, unless you really want to learn about storing data in a structured file.

What data-storage options would you recommend for use with a C++ application?

I’d look at SQLite. It is a database, but it doesn’t need a separate engine.