Having understood some of the advantages that NoSQL offers (scalability, availability, etc.), I am still not clear why a website would want to use a non-relational database. Can I get some help on this, preferably with an example?
A:
Better performance
NoSQL databases sometimes have better performance, although this depends on the situation and is disputed.
Adaptability
You can add and remove "columns" without downtime. In most SQL servers, this takes a long time and takes up a load of load.
Application design
It is desirable to separate the data storage from the logic. If you join and select things in SQL queries, you are mixing business logic with storage.
Sjoerd
2010-06-18 07:38:07
+1
A:
The main reason not to use an SQL database is scalability. The transactional guarantees and the relational model make it almost impossible to scale a database usefully across more than a few machines, especially given the write-heavy workloads generated by modern web applications.
An app like Facebook can't be made to work on an SQL database, no matter what you do. That's why they developed Cassandra.
NoSQL basically means you make do without some SQL-typical features like immediate consistency or easy joins, in exchange for being able to use a database that scales much better.
Conversely, there is no point in using NoSQL if your website never has more than a dozen concurrent users (which is true for the vast majority of all sites).
Michael Borgwardt
2010-06-18 07:39:43
A:
Here's a testimonial:
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Will
2010-06-18 07:44:57