Last updated on : December 13th, 2024 by R Yadav
Gathering and using data has become the foundation of many companies, services, and digital devices. Institutes from every industry use our data to provide better and more personalized services.
As we increasingly use multimedia across multiple platforms, data management systems have also had to evolve to be able to store and organize this new type of data. The NoSQL database has evolved from SQL (the standardized query language for relational databases) in order to meet this demand. Donald Chamberlin, co-author of SQL, has gone on record to discuss why NoSQL’s are the future. He said: “The world doesn't stay the same thing, especially in computer science. It's a very fast, evolving, industry. New requirements are coming along and technology has to change to meet them, I think that's what's happening. The NoSQL movement is motivated by new kinds of applications, particularly web applications, that need massive scalability and high performance.” As the global need for this new data management system increases, so does a need to educate more people about what a NoSQL database is and how it can benefit them.
To understand how a NoSQL database works, we need to compare its characteristics against those of an SQL database, explore the four data models, and examine the benefits.
A research report on the advantages and challenges of a NoSQL database compared to a SQL database listed these four characteristics:
Absence of schema - Compared to a SQL database, which requires all the data to be defined upfront so it can be imputed into the columns, NoSQL databases allow developers to store data without a pre-designed schema. This makes them much more flexible in the type of data they can store and their ability to scale.
Non-relational – NoSQL databases allow developers to store all information combined in one record alongside all the details that belong to it. In comparison, an SQL database usually stores information in separate tables.
Hardware Adaptability – The flexible schema of a NoSQL database means that it can be used across a much wider range of hardware than a SQL database, even if the hardware isn’t specialized for data management.
High distributability – Traditional SQL databases usually store data across several servers. A NoSQL database uses server clusters that can be used to store all the data in one large database.
NoSQL Data Models
NoSQL databases are becoming increasingly popular because they offer different data storage models. A comprehensive look at NoSQL databases lists the four data models: key-value, document, graph, and wide-column. Each of these data models can store both structured and unstructured data in different ways depending on the user’s requirements.
Document databases – This NoSQL database stores data in documents that contain fields and values. The values can include strings, numbers, booleans, arrays, or even other objects, making them suitable for semi-structured and unstructured data sets. Because document databases can also support nested structures, it is easier to represent complex relationships or hierarchical data.
Key-value database – A database where each item contains keys and values. Each key is unique and associated with a single value, and this database is often used for caching and session management. It also performs well when reading and writing data because it stores data in memory.
Graph Databases – Compared to the other NoSQL databases, a graph database stores data in the form of nodes and edges. A node typically stores data about people, places, and objects, while an edge stores information about the relationships between the different nodes. This NoSQL database works well for highly connected data, such as social media posts, where relationships or patterns may not be very obvious.
Wide-column Databases – These are the most similar to SQL databases as they store data in tables, rows, and dynamic columns. Unlike SQL databases, wide-column stores are flexible, and different rows can have different sets of columns.
Benefits of a NoSQL Database
There are several benefits of using a NoSQL database that make it very useful to a developer.
Scalability – As the amount of data that can be collected rapidly increases, companies need data management systems that can scale along with the data. NoSQL databases are able to scale horizontally which means they can easily add more servers to the system.
High Performance – As modern technology evolves, especially through high-performing innovations such as deep learning and machine learning, there is a demand for data management systems that can keep up with the vast data volumes and traffic increases and are flexible enough to adapt to different demands. This is why NoSQL databases are increasingly being used to develop machine learning models.
Accessibility – NoSQL databases are often multi-model databases that can support more than one type of NoSQL data model. This allows developers to choose the data model they need based on their application requirements. Unlike SQL databases, NoSQL can replicate data across multiple servers, data centers, or even cloud resources, making it much more accessible for developers working in different departments or locations.
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