Are there any real benefits to using a RDBMS vs. flat files on a simple Web doc system (or basic CMS)?

Question

The Project

I\'ve been asked to work on an interesting project -- what amounts to a basic Web CMS -- that uses HTML/CSS/jQuery with PHP. However, on

Answer 1

What is the predicted data sizes for the CMS?

A large reason for the use of a RDMS is quick,specific access to large amounts of data. The data format might not be large, but if there is a lot of the data, then it might be better in the long run for a RDMS.

Then again, if the CSM is designed right, then switching between a flat file to RDMS should be as simple as using a different data access file.