Streamline Data Management: Master File Handling with Databases in Python

Learn how to efficiently interact with databases and perform file handling operations using Python

Photo by Myan Nguyen on Unsplash

Managing large volumes of data requires robust solutions beyond basic file I/O operations. Fortunately, Python provides powerful modules that allow seamless interaction between local filesystems and relational databases.

In this tutorial, we’ll walk through connecting to popular SQLite database, performing typical CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) actions, and learning effective ways to combine both worlds.

Prerequisites

To follow along, ensure you have Python installed (preferably version >3.6). Additionally, download and install sqlite3 command-line tool available here if needed.

Step 1 — Install python-dotenv Package

We’ll begin by managing environment variables using the dotenv package. It simplifies storing sensitive configuration details outside source control systems. Run:

pip install python-dotenv

Let’s assume we store our SQLite connection string in .env file:

DATABASE_URL=mydb.sqlite3