Core Data Basics / iOS 5 / #mobileExp -Introduction

In this set of tutorials, we are going to learn what is the Use of Core data, How we used in iphone/ipad application development.

Data driven programming

Data driven programming is a programming model where the data itself controls the flow of the program and not the program logic. It is a model where you control the flow by offering different data sets to the program where the program logic is some generic form of flow or of state-changes. Core data plays an important role in data driven application development in iOS and MAC OSX.

What is Core Data? 

To be simple Core Data is an object graph and persistence framework provided by Apple.It allows data organized by the relational entity–attribute model to be serialized into XML, binary, or SQLite stores. The data can be manipulated using higher level objects representing entities and their relationships. Core Data manages the serialized version, providing object lifecycle and object graph management, including persistence. Core Data interfaces directly with SQLite, insulating the developer from the underlying SQL.The Core Data framework provides generalized and automated solutions to common tasks associated with object life-cycle and object graph management, including persistence.

Storage formats:- 

Core Data can serialize objects into XML, Binary, or SQLite for storage.

Core Data Features:- 

• Change tracking and undo support :- Core data provides the undo and redo support beyond basic text editing.
• Relationship maintenance:- Maintaining the consistency of relationships among objects.
• Futures :- Core Data can reduce the memory overhead of your program by lazily loading objects.
• Automatic validation of property values :- Core Data’s managed objects extend the standard key-value coding validation methods.
• Schema migration :- Schema migration can be done easily.
• User interface synchronization :- User interface synchronization can be done easily.
• Full, automatic, support for key-value coding and key-value observing.
• Grouping, filtering, and organizing data in memory and in the user interface.
• Automatic support for storing objects in external data repositories.
• Sophisticated query compilation.

Why Should You Use Core Data?

1. The amount of code you write to support the model layer can be reduced.
2. Reduces the testing time.
3. You don’t want to optimize the core data and its manipulations.
4. Core Data has a mature code base whose quality is maintained through unit tests.
5. Core Data Provides excellent security.
6. Core Data Provides excellent error handling.
7. Core Data offers best memory scalability of any competing solution.
8. Core Data also integrates with Interface Builder to allow you to create user interfaces from your model.

What Core Data Is Not ?

1. Core Data is not a relational database or a relational database management system (RDBMS).
2. Core Data does not remove the need to write code,more real-world applications you will still have to write code.
3. Core Data does not rely on Cocoa bindings.

Now i am  going to split up entire core data lessons in to 7 parts.

Part 1: Learn about the main components of the Core Data application.

Part 2: Major classes in the Core Data framework.

Part 3: Learn how to use the graphical modeling tool to build a data model.

Part 4: Addresses the basic operations in persistence storage using Core Data.

Part 5: How to use relationships in the Core Data model.

Part 6: sample application that utilizes Core Data for storage.

Part 7: Summary.

 Objective-C Reference 

NSFetchRequest

NSManagedObject

NSManagedObjectContext

NSManagedObjectModel

NSPersistentStoreCoordinator

NSPredicate

Hash Tag for the conversation : #mobileExp

Stay tunned for the Part 1: Learn about the main components of the Core Data application.