In today’s society, data has emerged as a critical commodity for businesses. Data is often worth more than the product a company buys or sells. It can drive decisions, change a company’s direction, or lead to the failure of a poorly prepared business. Indeed, the big data industry was worth around $42 billion in 2018, but just six years later, a Statista report suggests it is as much as $84 billion.
Data is usually stored in a database, with traditional relational databases popular for decades. However, with the surge of big data increasing in volume and variety, NoSQL databases have gained significant traction. As explained in the article ‘What is a NoSQL?’ on MongoDB, NoSQL, which stands for “Not Only SQL,” is a database that can store and retrieve data modeled in a means other than the tabular relations used in relational databases. This flexibility makes NoSQL an appealing choice for businesses facing complex data challenges.
Imagine a traditional relational database as a well-organized library where every book has its specific place. This system works perfectly when you know exactly what books you have and where they should be. However, imagine organizing a constantly changing and growing collection of books of all shapes, sizes, and formats – from traditional novels to digital e-books and multimedia content. In this scenario, a more flexible system that can adapt to various data types and storage needs would be far more effective.
This is what a NoSQL database does. But, what features do they have to help businesses?
Scalability
One of the primary reasons businesses should consider NoSQL databases is their ability to scale out horizontally. Traditional relational databases often require vertical scaling, which involves adding more power to a single server. This approach can quickly become expensive and reach physical limits. On the other hand, NoSQL databases are designed to scale out by distributing data across multiple servers, which can be added incrementally as needed.
For instance, consider a social media company like Facebook. The platform needs to manage an immense amount of user-generated content, from posts and comments to photos and videos. As the number of users grows, so does the data. A NoSQL database allows Facebook to distribute this data across thousands of servers seamlessly, ensuring that the platform remains responsive and reliable, regardless of how many users are active at any given time.
Flexibility and Schema-less Design
Another compelling advantage of NoSQL databases is their flexibility, particularly their schema-less design. In a relational database, the schema must be defined upfront, specifying the structure of the data. This rigidity can be a bottleneck when dealing with unstructured or semi-structured data, or when the data model needs to evolve rapidly.
The e-commerce platform Amazon has a vast and diverse product catalog, encompassing everything from books and electronics to clothing and home goods. Each product category might have its unique attributes—a book has an author and ISBN, while a shirt has size and color. A NoSQL database allows Amazon to store these varied data types without having to predefine a rigid schema, enabling the platform to adapt quickly to new product types and categories as they emerge.
High Performance for Big Data Applications
NoSQL databases are also known for their high performance, especially when dealing with big data applications. They are optimized for large-scale data ingestion, processing, and real-time analytics, making them ideal for businesses that need to analyze massive datasets quickly.
Consider a company like Netflix, which streams millions of hours of content to users worldwide. Netflix needs to collect and analyze vast amounts of data on viewer preferences, viewing habits, and content performance. A NoSQL database can handle this data volume providing Netflix with the insights needed to personalize recommendations, optimize content delivery, and improve user experience in real-time.
Conclusion
For businesses looking to stay competitive in the digital age, leveraging the strengths of NoSQL databases can provide the agility and performance needed to manage and extract value from their data effectively. Whether it’s a social media giant, an e-commerce leader, or a streaming service, the benefits of NoSQL databases are clear and compelling.