Databases at Scale: From Relational to NoSQL
Databases at Scale: From Relational to NoSQL Scaling data systems tests the limits of both people and technology. Many teams start with a relational database and later face growing traffic, diverse data, and evolving requirements. No single system fits all workloads, so understanding how relational and NoSQL databases differ helps teams choose wisely. Relational databases organize data into tables, enforce schema, and provide strong ACID guarantees alongside powerful SQL queries. NoSQL databases cover several families: document stores store JSON-like documents; key-value stores map keys to values; columnar stores hold wide tables; some systems support graphs. Each family trades strict consistency for speed and flexibility, which can fit the right pattern. When data evolves quickly or the workload is read-heavy at scale, NoSQL often offers simpler growth paths. ...