Database Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 2
The Power of NoSQL and MongoDB
This chapter explains NoSQL along with a comparison to traditional relational databases.
We briefly discuss the four main types of NoSQL databases: document, key-value, column-
oriented, and graph. Then we cover what makes MongoDB unique followed by how to in-
stall MongoDB on your computer.
N
O
SQL
VS. THE
T
RADITIONAL
R
ELATIONAL
D
ATABASE
NoSQL is a name for the category of databases built on non-relational technology. NoSQL
is not a good name for what it represents as it is less about how to query the database (which
is where SQL comes in) and more about how the data is stored (which is where relational
structures comes in). Even Carlo Strozzi, who first used the term NoSQL in 1998 to name
his lightweight, open-source relational database that did not expose the standard SQL in-
terface, suggests that “NoREL” would have been a better term than NoSQL [Wikipedia].
However, because the term NoSQL is in widespread use today, we will continue to use this
term in this chapter.
There are four factors that distinguish traditional relational databases (abbreviated as
“RDBMS”) from NoSQL databases: variety, structure, scaling, and focus. Here is a table
summarizing these differences:
RDBMS
NoSQL
