When displaying a SQLite database in a Win32 program using C++ (either Dev-C++ or MSVS++), the choice of GUI toolkit is crucial as it influences how data is presented in a table format. While SQL may seem excessive for small applications, such as managing a basketball team, it offers structured data handling that plain text files or XML cannot match. The process of retrieving data from SQLite involves executing SQL queries and iterating through the results, similar to PHP's handling of database queries. For GUI implementation, familiarity with object-oriented programming is essential. If not using Qt, which is often preferred for its capabilities but is a commercial product, GTK+ is a recommended alternative as it is open-source. Other toolkits exist, but Qt and GTK+ are highlighted as the most effective for creating grid tables to display database content.