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> a NoSQL database has a much more flexible structure In some cases you really have too much diversity of data structures and then it a NoSQL solution can be h

by gbog 14y ago

> a NoSQL database has a much more flexible structure In some cases you really have too much diversity of data structures and then it a NoSQL solution can be helpful. An example can come to mind: a notification engine with tens of diverse notification format, each with their variable data and their localized display templates. But if your data is well structured, like in this example, it is not true that SQL is not flexible. I have used PostgreSQL to manipulate on the fly the relatively big UNIHAN list (50 000 Chinese characters with their attributes) and could rearrange data in the way I wished, creating, updating columns, creating grouped tables, and I got a working database for an online dictionary without any pain. If I would have to run scripts for each SQL command I ran, it would have taken much longer, and I would have the easy begin, modify, check, commit or rollback loop. I sometime wonder if enough people who use SQL use it through the command line interface.

mickeyp 14y ago
> In some cases you really have too much diversity of data structures and then it a NoSQL solution can be helpful. An example can come to mind: a notification engine with tens of diverse notification format, each with their variable data and their localized display templates. Actually the relational database solution to that problem -- an arbitrary mix of various data types -- is to use a table with a variety of columns of different data types. For instance: Str1, Str2, Str3, Str4, Int1, Int2, Int3, etc. -- for as many as you need to store what you want to store. Obviously they should all be nullable and you would need a PK (and FK) to whatever it is you are storing it with. Next, you build views on top of this for each different type of data stored in this mix table, and in this view you then name each column sensibly. Using triggers on the view (or without: Oracle can figure out most inserts if the SELECT query is trivial) you can insert data into the mix table as well.
- damncabbage 14y ago
  I take it you don't use foreign key constraints, then.
- gbog 14y ago
  You mean materialized view, right? Anyway you just demonstrated my point: in this case NoSQL may be a more flexible (simple) option. Another relational solution is to use a single entity-attribute-value table and drop the strong typing.

by gbog 14y ago

mickeyp 14y ago

> In some cases you really have too much diversity of data structures and then it a NoSQL solution can be helpful. An example can come to mind: a notification engine with tens of diverse notification format, each with their variable data and their localized display templates. Actually the relational database solution to that problem -- an arbitrary mix of various data types -- is to use a table with a variety of columns of different data types. For instance: Str1, Str2, Str3, Str4, Int1, Int2, Int3, etc. -- for as many as you need to store what you want to store. Obviously they should all be nullable and you would need a PK (and FK) to whatever it is you are storing it with. Next, you build views on top of this for each different type of data stored in this mix table, and in this view you then name each column sensibly. Using triggers on the view (or without: Oracle can figure out most inserts if the SELECT query is trivial) you can insert data into the mix table as well.

damncabbage 14y ago
I take it you don't use foreign key constraints, then.
gbog 14y ago
You mean materialized view, right? Anyway you just demonstrated my point: in this case NoSQL may be a more flexible (simple) option. Another relational solution is to use a single entity-attribute-value table and drop the strong typing.