Table of contents

Database Duel: Relational vs. Non-relational Showdown

Posted on

Jun 5, 2023

When storing data in digital form, think of servers first. When we decide about databases it stores, then we must decide over the relational or non-relational data structure. In this article, we'll explain the evolution of relational and non-relational types of database data structures to show an overview of them, explain key points how to make the right database selection, and offer some code snippets to highlight their differences.

A Brief History

Let us go back to the 1960s when E.F. Codd, an IBM researcher and a computer scientist, proposed the relational model (RM) as a general data model. The year of 1970 saw the first commercial relational database management system (RDBMS) concept. Relational database types became widespread in the 1980s and more companies began to use them to manage their data.

On the other hand, a non-relational model first introduced by Carlo Strozz in 1998 was still relational. Johan Oskarsson reintroduced the term NoSQL databases in the 2000s, which were designed to handle large volumes of unstructured data on larger servers.

General overview

Relational types of databases (SQL)rely on the relational model and use tables, columns, and rows to organize and store data in a structured and predictable way. They are best suited for various applications that require complex data structures and complex queries, such as financial applications and enterprise systems.

Non-relational ones (NoSQL databases), on the other hand, are designed to handle unstructured and semi-structured data, such as XML and JSON-like documents. They are flexible, scalable, and can handle large volumes of data on larger servers more efficiently. They are best suited for applications that require high availability and scalability, such as e-commerce stores and social networks.

What is SQL?

A relational database is a database that organizes data in tables,one or more. These relationships between tables and the column have similar information. Each table has rows, also known as records or tuples, and columns, known as fields, defining what this data is for example, we use the varchar type to store strings. Some common data types used are char, int, numeric, money, and date time.

A primary partition key column is required in each table to uniquely identify a table. When this primary key is utilized in another table, it's referred to as the foreign key. The scheme is created by mapping these tables together.

Many companies provided us with many tools to deal with SQL: MySQL, Azure SQL Database, Oracle, and Microsoft SQL Server. SQL (Structured Query Language) uses a set of commands and syntax to perform actions such as creating tables, inserting data, modifying data, deleting data, and querying data.

Let us take an example

‍

Create Table

CREATE TABLE Posts (id int primary key, title varchar(100));

‍

Retrieve Data

SELECT id, title FROM Posts;

‍

Update Data

UPDATE Posts
SET title = title1
WHERE id = 1;

‍

Delete Table

DROP TABLE Post;

Share this article

Get more articles
like this

Thank you! Your submission has been received!

Oops! Something went wrong.

Level up SQL skills and advance your career

• Wide range of learning tracks for beginners and experienced developers

• Study at your own pace with your personal study plan

• Focus on practice and real-world experience

Learn SQL Free

No credit card required

What are Non-Relational Databases?

A Non-Relational type uses dynamic schema and is easy to scale. Never provide tables with flat fixed-column records. It does not require data normalization and comes with four categories, each one having its unique attributes and limitations. Good examples are key-value databases, wide-column databases, graph databases, and document databases.

These types are optimized specifically for applications that require large data volumes, low latency, and flexible data models. These requirements are achieved by relaxing some of the restrictions around data consistency.

Examples of column-based NoSQL include HBase and Hypertable.Wide-column ones are Cassandra, ScyllaDB, and Google BigTable. When talking about graphs, Neo4j is the top. Document-oriented database solutions include a wide variety of solutions: MongoDB, CouchDB, Riak, Amazon SimpleDB, and Lotus Notes.

Retrieve the data on the NoSQL

db.posts.find( {comments: "comment1"} ).pretty()

‍

Output

{
“Id”: 1
“Title”:” Title”
“Comments”: ["Comment 1", "Comment 2"]
}

	Relational	Non-relational
Query language	SQL	SQL plus another
Format	Tabular	Hierarchical
Type	Structured	Unstructured
Relation	Yes	No
Example	MySQL Maria DB	MongoDB Redis
Cloud-native applications	Azure Database	Amazon DynamoDB

SQL vs NoSQL, pros and cons

SQL databases

Pros:

Transactions are secure (can be used for fraud detection)
High reliability
Easy data navigation on a wide range of data

Cons:

Vertical scaling
Fixed, not dynamic schema

NoSQL databases

Pros:

Flexible schemas
Storage capacity for huge amounts with little structure
Horizontal scaling

Cons:

Limited functionality
Manual query language

Wrapping up

No matter which type of data storage system you choose, it's important to understand the differences between relational and non-relational models with the benefits they offer. Relational models have been around for years and are great for applications that need structured data and complex queries. Non-relational models are perfect for applications with flexibility, scalability, and high availability requirements. The key is to know when to use which type of model for your specific needs.

When deciding between a relational or non-relational model, consider the programming language you plan to use. SQL is an extremely popular programming language designed specifically for relational data management systems like MySQL or Oracle; however, if you're looking to use Python or Java, then a NoSQL database might be better

To sum up, relational (SQL) and non-relational databases (NoSQL) are two different types of database management systems that serve different purposes.

SQL is based on the relational model and uses tables, columns, and rows to organize and store data in a structured and predictable way. They are best suited for applications that require complex queries and transactions, such as financial applications and enterprise systems.

On the other hand, NoSQL database is designed to handle unstructured and semi-structured data, such as JSON and XML documents. They are flexible and scalable and can handle large volumes of data efficiently. They are best suited for applications that require high availability and scalability, such as e-commerce applications and social networks.

Ultimately, the choice between a relational or non-relational database depends on the application's specific needs. SQL is a good fit for applications that require structured data, while non-relational databases are better suited for applications that require flexible data models and high scalability.

Thank you for reading.

‍