python - Why do you need to create a cursor when querying a sqlite database?

Question

I'm completely new to Python's sqlite3 module (and SQL in general for that matter), and this just completely stumps me. The abundant lack of descriptions of cursor objects (rather, their necessity) also seems odd.

This snippet of code is the preferred way of doing things:

import sqlite3
conn = sqlite3.connect("db.sqlite")
c = conn.cursor()
c.execute('''insert into table "users" values ("Jack Bauer", "555-555-5555")''')
conn.commit()
c.close()

This one isn't, even though it works just as well and without the (seemingly pointless) cursor:

import sqlite3
conn = sqlite3.connect("db.sqlite")
conn.execute('''insert into table "users" values ("Jack Bauer", "555-555-5555")''')
conn.commit()

Can anyone tell me why I need a cursor?
It just seems like pointless overhead. For every method in my script that accesses a database, I'm supposed to create and destroy a cursor?
Why not just use the connection object?

Answer 1

Just a misapplied abstraction it seems to me. A db cursor is an abstraction, meant for data set traversal.

From Wikipedia article on subject:

In computer science and technology, a database cursor is a control structure that enables traversal over the records in a database. Cursors facilitate subsequent processing in conjunction with the traversal, such as retrieval, addition and removal of database records. The database cursor characteristic of traversal makes cursors akin to the programming language concept of iterator.

And:

Cursors can not only be used to fetch data from the DBMS into an application but also to identify a row in a table to be updated or deleted. The SQL:2003 standard defines positioned update and positioned delete SQL statements for that purpose. Such statements do not use a regular WHERE clause with predicates. Instead, a cursor identifies the row. The cursor must be opened and already positioned on a row by means of FETCH statement.

If you check the docs on Python sqlite module, you can see that a python module cursor is needed even for a CREATE TABLE statement, so it's used for cases where a mere connection object should suffice - as correctly pointed out by the OP. Such abstraction is different from what people understand a db cursor to be and hence, the confusion/frustration on the part of users. Regardless of efficiency, it's just a conceptual overhead. Would be nice if it was pointed out in the docs that the python module cursor is bit different than what a cursor is in SQL and databases.