Alternative ways to supply data to a recyclerview

I'm currently using a cursor adapter with my grid view, but i would like use a recyclerview instead.To my knowledge, there is no official way to use a cursor adapter and SQL databases with a recyclerview. So are there any alternative ways to supply data to a recyclerview other than SQL? How do google apps like keep and drive use a recyclerview with variable items? I am new to android, so please forgive me if this question is not meaningful.