What Is NoSQL? What to Know About NoSQL Databases

Knowing what NoSQL is has become basic knowledge for study and work in information technology. With the right understanding, we can pinpoint a problem accurately and so complete our work efficiently. See what is shared in this article from MONA Media to learn what NoSQL is, along with the related basics you need to know.

What is NoSQL?

NoSQL is a non-relational data management system with a flexible schema. A defining trait of NoSQL databases is that they scale easily when needed. That is why they are often used for distributed data stores that hold large volumes of data, or for web applications that run in real time.

NoSQL stands for Not Only SQL or Not SQL. Relational databases (RDBMS) use SQL syntax to store and retrieve data. NoSQL database systems, by contrast, cover a range of database technologies that can store data in structured, semi-structured or unstructured form, or in polymorphic form.

See more: What is MySQL? What you need to know about MySQL

Reasons to use NoSQL

Using a NoSQL database is an ideal, sensible choice in many modern applications. NoSQL brings a lot of value and benefit, so more and more people trust it. The reasons to choose NoSQL include:

• High flexibility: a flexible schema makes development fast and allows far more iteration. A highly flexible data model makes a NoSQL database a perfect choice for unorganized data or data whose structure is not fully complete.
• Scalability: NoSQL is designed to scale by using clusters of distributed hardware, rather than scaling up with powerful, expensive servers.
• High performance: Because it is optimized for specific data models and access patterns, NoSQL can deliver higher performance than trying to achieve the same functionality with a relational database.
• Genuinely practical: NoSQL offers API and genuinely practical data types, built specifically for each data model. This makes it far more applicable in use.

When should you choose NoSQL?

When you need to handle a large, even extremely large, volume of data, NoSQL is an excellent choice. Using a NoSQL database sensibly gives strong results and practical benefits. In particular, NoSQL is the right fit in cases such as:

When you need fast development speed

NoSQL lets developers control the data structure well, so it suits modern Agile development, with fast iteration and frequent code updates.

When you need to handle many different data structures

It is especially suitable for storing and modeling structured, semi-structured and unstructured data in one database. A NoSQL database lets you store data similar to the objects used in applications, and reduces the need to translate between the stored format and the format used in code.

When SQL can't meet large storage needs

Handling big data is part of its basic architecture. Using a NoSQL database is therefore based on a scale-out strategy, which helps scale up to large data volumes well and at lower cost.

Systems with high traffic that cannot allow downtime

NoSQL ensures clear planning for growing traffic. Moreover, scale-out architectures here also bring real benefits, such as upgrading the database or changing the structure with no downtime at all.

When you need newer application models to be better supported

NoSQL lets one database serve both business operations and analytics from the same data. A separate data warehouse is then used to support analysis. With cloud technology, NoSQL adapts quickly to automation and becomes part of that cloud.

Deploying databases at large scale and supporting microservices is far easier with NoSQL. Its strong integration with real-time online technologies makes NoSQL even more practical to apply.

A roundup of the basic NoSQL types

NoSQL databases come in several types. Each has its own characteristics and its own limitations. The basic ones are:

Column-based NoSQL database

Data is stored entirely in the database as columns, and each column is processed separately, with the values of a column stored contiguously. This type of NoSQL delivers high performance for aggregate queries such as AVG, MIN, SUM or COUNT, since the data is already available in a single column.

Graph-Based NoSQL database

Graph-Based NoSQL database: a graph database stores entities and the relationships between them efficiently. Each entity is stored as a node and each relationship as an edge, and every edge shows how two specific nodes are related. Each node and each edge has a unique identifier.

Tables are loosely connected, and a graph database is multi-relational by nature. A defining feature is that relationships are written to the DB and retrieved quickly, with no computation needed. Graph data is commonly used for social networks, spatial data or logistics.

Key Value Pair Based NoSQL database

With a Key Value Pair Based NoSQL database, all data is stored in key/value pairs. It is designed to handle large volumes of data and heavy loads. A key/value store is built as a hash table in which every key is unique and the value can be a BLOB, JSON or a string, etc. It is typically used like a dictionary, a collection or an associative array.

Document-Oriented NoSQL

This type of NoSQL stores and retrieves data as key-value pairs, but here the value is stored as a document. Documents are stored in XML or JSON format. The values are interpreted through an Online Transaction Processing DB and can be queried when needed.

Applying a NoSQL database is a way to overcome the limitations of relational SQL databases. It is not a complete replacement, though; you need to weigh the options and apply it appropriately for each situation. Understanding what NoSQL is, why to use it and when to use it will help you stay in control when applying it.