Whats the difference between a single-file CDF and multi-file CDF?
The CDF library gives the user option to choose from one of two file formats: single-file and multi-file. Single-file CDF contains the control information, metadata, and the data values for each of the variables in one file. Whereas multi-file CDF has two parts to it: metadata file and data file (one for each variable). Single-file CDF is the default file format, and it’s recommended over the multi-file CDF. The main advantage of the single-file format is that it minimizes the number of files one has to manage and makes it easier to transport CDFs across a network. The organization of the data within the single file may, however, become somewhat convoluted, slightly increasing the data access time. The multi-file format, on the other hand, clearly delimits the data from the metadata and is organized in a consistent fashion within the files. Updating, appending, and accessing data are also done with optimum efficiency. For multi-file format CDFs, certain restrictions are applied. They a
The CDF library gives the user option to choose from one of two file formats: single-file and multi-file. Single-file CDF contains the control information, metadata, and the data values for each of the variables in one file. Whereas multi-file CDF has two parts to it: metadata file and data file (one for each variable. The main advantage of the single-file format is that it minimizes the number of files one has to manage and makes it easier to transport CDFs across a network. The organization of the data within the single file may, however, become somewhat convoluted, slightly increasing the data access time. The multi-file format, on the other hand, clearly delimits the data from the metadata and is organized in a consistent fashion within the files. Updating, appending, and accessing data are also done with optimum efficiency. For multi-file format CDFs, certain restrictions are applied. They are: – Compression: Compression is not allowed for the CDF or any of its variables. – Sparse
