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Isn't a key-value store (NoSQL) simpler to use than a relational database? (I haven't used one so I don't know for sure). Hierarchical and network stores were
by 6ren 15y ago
Isn't a key-value store (NoSQL) simpler to use than a relational database? (I haven't used one so I don't know for sure).
Hierarchical and network stores were popular before RDB was invented; although RDB was slower, the big advantage was that you could transform the data into whatever form you need (instead of having to use the specific hierarchy used to store it). At least, that was the key benefit according to my reading of Codd's 1970 paper.
- mahmud 15y agoYes, it's a much simpler solution. But it's an "optimization" in the sense that one has to work extra hard to avoid the ubiquity & tooling of SQL. Expanding effort to achieve better performance (whether true or perceived) is what is most associated with software optimization.
- _delirium 15y agoYeah, I can see this argument going either way. If you're avoiding SQL for NoSQL for scalability reasons, that might be premature optimization, especially if your data is pretty easily relational (and e.g. you have something approximating a schema). But if you just need to persist a data model, don't care too much about the schema, and come up with the solution of, "I'll just serialize my hash table to a CSV flat file", that's just taking the ultra-simple solution, not really an optimization. If anything, pulling out the big iron of SQL when all you need to do is serialize a hashtable would be the premature optimization (or at least, premature architecting).