Seven Databases in Seven Weeks

Chapter 1Introduction

This is a pivotal time in the database world. For years the relational model has been the de facto option for problems big and small. We don’t expect relational databases will fade away anytime soon, but people are emerging from the RDBMS fog to discover alternative options, such as schemaless or alternative data structures, simple replication, high availability, horizontal scaling, and new query methods. These options are collectively known as NoSQL and make up the bulk of this book.

In this book, we explore seven databases across the spectrum of database styles. In the process of reading the book, you will learn the various functionality and trade-offs each database has—durability vs. speed, absolute vs. eventual consistency, ...