How to decide between an SQL database and a NoSQL database?
This blogpost talks about factors that one should consider while choosing between an SQL database vs a NoSQL database.
Reasons to use an SQL database
When it comes to database technology, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. That’s why many businesses rely on both relational and nonrelational databases for different tasks. Even as NoSQL databases gain popularity for their speed and scalability, there are still situations where a highly structured SQL database may be preferable. Here are a few reasons you might choose an SQL database:
You need to ensure ACID compliancy (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability). ACID compliancy reduces anomalies and protects the integrity of your database by prescribing exactly how transactions interact with the database. Generally, NoSQL databases sacrifice ACID compliancy for flexibility and processing speed, but for many e-commerce and financial applications, an ACID-compliant database remains the preferred option.
Your data is structured and unchanging. If your business is not experiencing massive growth that would require more servers and you’re only working with data that’s consistent, then there may be no reason to use a system designed to support a variety of data types and high traffic volume.
Reasons to use a NoSQL database
When all of the other components of your server-side application are designed to be fast and seamless, NoSQL databases prevent data from being the bottleneck. Big data is the real NoSQL motivator here, doing things that traditional relational databases cannot. It’s driving the popularity of NoSQL databases like MongoDB, CouchDB, Cassandra, and HBase.
Storing large volumes of data that often have little to no structure. A NoSQL database sets no limits on the types of data you can store together, and allows you to add different new types as your needs change. With document-based databases, you can store data in one place without having to define what “types” of data those are in advance.
Making the most of cloud computing and storage. Cloud-based storage is an excellent cost-saving solution, but requires data to be easily spread across multiple servers to scale up. Using commodity (affordable, smaller) hardware on-site or in the cloud saves you the hassle of additional software, and NoSQL databases like Cassandra are designed to be scaled across multiple data centers out of the box without a lot of headaches.
Rapid development. If you’re developing within two-week Agile sprints, cranking out quick iterations, or needing to make frequent updates to the data structure without a lot of downtime between versions, a relational database will slow you down. NoSQL data doesn’t need to be prepped ahead of time.