Hello!

I have a rather simple iPhone app consisting of numerous views containing a single, grouped table view. These views are held together in navigation controllers which are grouped in a tab bar. Simple stuff.

My table views do little more than list text (like "Dog", "Cat" and "Weasel") and this data is being served from a collection of plists. It's perhaps worth mentioning too that these tables are 'static' in the sense that their data is pre-determined and will only ever be amended—and if so, very rarely indeed—by the developer (in this case, moi).

This rudimentary approach has reached its limits though, and I think I'm going to need something a bit more relational. I have worked a tad with Core Data in the past, but only with apps whose data is determined by user input.

I have four closely related questions:

1. Is Core Data overkill for an app consisting mainly of a selection of simple table views?
2. Do you recommend using Core Data to manage data which is predetermine and extremely unlikely to ever change?
3. Can one lock Core Data down so that its data can't change, thereby relinquishing my responsibility as the developer to handle the editing and saving of the managed object context?
4. How do I go about giving Core Data my predetermined data, and in a format I know that it can work with?

Thanks a bunch guys.