iOS table views and a rdbms

I have a robust desktop application I would like to port over to iOS, particularly the iPad. The current application is mostly made up of tables and tables and more tables. All the tables have a customizable list of available columns, and some tables may have up to 20 columns.

I am concerned that the iPad may not have enough screen to accommodate the necessary data. I am also concerned that I have seen virtually no apps that have nice looking tables in large quantity. Is there a table component robust enough? Another concern is the current application has a derby database (full relational database) under the hood. Does the iPad/iOS have anything that can accommodate 1000s of rows of data in an efficient manner?

Before I invest the money on Mac hardware I thought I would ping you guys first.

jiminaus said:

The iPad has SQLite, which can probably handle your data. However, the iPad has limited RAM, so you'll need to be careful how you handle your data at runtime.

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I have been spoiled by the J2EE container, and have not had to consider memory limits on most of my projects.

jiminaus said:

If you're even looking for a grid-like table component, you're going to fail. You will need to properly think about and design a user-interface based on the unique characteristics of the iPad.

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This statement I find interesting. I have been looking at table components for a few weeks now, and I am shocked to see the lack of any mature grid that can be deployed on the iPad. One that has robust sorting, column selection and filtering is no where to be found. The more time I spend thinking about this, the more doubts I have that the iPad platform is the right choice.

Thank you for you input.