Overview of NoSQL and comparison with SQL database management systems

Abstract

The increasing need for space in the database community has caused the revolution named NoSQL ‗Not Only SQL‘. With recent advancements in technology, key industries like Amazon, Google and Facebook have sought out other means to manage their resources 'effectively'. This perpetual need for robustness, cost effectiveness, flexibility, with no ambiguity (due to the volume of data involved) has moved the database industry to another phase which is the NoSQL database management system. SQL (Structured Query Language) while still holding usefulness for its ability to provide a highly consistent system still appeals to its users but both systems (SQL and NoSQL) have their various limitations which in the research and business community have caused a divide which we would call the Pro-SQL and Pro-NoSQL split. This division has made schemas/tables less and more important because NoSQL system represents a need for availability of data while SQL favours consistency. Both systems can still provide satisfaction for a user with clear understanding of what they stand for. This research has adopted an object-oriented analysis approach as the methodology and this has been used to exemplify the various techniques and systems (SQL and NoSQL).

Keywords: Availability; Consistency; Data storage; NoSQL; SQL