PHP - Managing A Lot of Data Without Database : <p>The Problem</p>

<p>I have an app that scrapes data and presents it to the user, directly, because of lack of disk space.</p>

<p>This data is very volatile, it can change within minutes. Much like the stock market.</p>

<p>Since the data changes so often, and it varies from user to user, it is useless to save it in a database.</p>

<p>The question</p>

<p>I need to sort the data presented to the user, compare it, link it etc. A lot of functions that a database provides. Yet I cannot save it in said database because of the above conondrums, what should I do?</p>

<p>What I've Thought of Doing So Far</p>

<p>I've tried organizing the data presented to each user using just PHP but seems troublesome, fragile and inefficient.</p>

<p>Should I just create some sort of virtual table system in MySQL just for data handling? Maybe use a good database engine for that purpose?</p>

<p>Maybe I can save all data for each user but have a cron job remove the old data in the database in a constant fashion? Seems troublesome.</p>

<p>The Answer</p>

<p>I'd like some implementation ideas from folks who have encountered a similar problem. I do not care for "try all of the above and see what is faster" type of answers. </p>

<p>Thanks all for your help.</p>
