Really, this question is so vague it's not possible to answer. Let's take two sample cases and see which is closer to yours.

The first is a web-page visitor counter. It's updated based on user selection, but there is very little data, with no structured organization. In that case a flat file would be fine.

The second case might be an online catalog with many selections and prices. In that case, a database would make more sense.

In reply to Re: Data on the fly? by tall_man
in thread Data on the fly? by qxotic

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