Re:Is the Relational Database Doomed?
by yason on Friday February 13, 2009 @04:39AM
(#479667)
Where comes the notion that it were to be either this or that?
Why not use a relational database for data that actually suits the relational model, and an object/hierarchical/keyvalue database for complete entities that are often mapped to objects in code? Just put each kind of data to a storage that makes sense.
If you start with a RDBMS, there are plenty of options of how to store the objects. You can just use plain files in the simplest case. Or a good dbm style database. Or if your objects are mostly read-only you can keep the data in the RDB and cache the big joins. Or if you're really stuck with the RDB only you can even store the key-value pairs in the RDB: just make a two-column table for run-time data and keep it separate from the actual relational data. Or keep everything in the RDB but make a live copy off the RDB when the user logs in to keep the runtime data accessible and then unpack it back to the RDB lazily or when the user logs out. There are pretty much endless possibilities depending on your business and search needs.
Why not use a relational database for data that actually suits the relational model, and an object/hierarchical/keyvalue database for complete entities that are often mapped to objects in code? Just put each kind of data to a storage that makes sense.
If you start with a RDBMS, there are plenty of options of how to store the objects. You can just use plain files in the simplest case. Or a good dbm style database. Or if your objects are mostly read-only you can keep the data in the RDB and cache the big joins. Or if you're really stuck with the RDB only you can even store the key-value pairs in the RDB: just make a two-column table for run-time data and keep it separate from the actual relational data. Or keep everything in the RDB but make a live copy off the RDB when the user logs in to keep the runtime data accessible and then unpack it back to the RDB lazily or when the user logs out. There are pretty much endless possibilities depending on your business and search needs.
Ain't easy but non-trivial databases never are.