Databases: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 20:22, 26 August 2016

This article is about choice of database models and implementations.

Copyleft free to modify and free in cost software is strongly preferred over other solutions. Minimal modifications required could be another preference as that means maintenance of the chosen solution is minimized in that aspect.

Types of databases of interest

Relational database provided by a RDBMS and queried with SQL. Track-proven technology.
w:NoSQL, ( "Not Only SQL" or have your pick on the other supposed significations ) variates:
- w:Subject-predicate-object databases are implemented by graph databases, specialized native triplestores and piggy-packing solutions that use an RDBMS to store and query the triplets and the networks they compose.
- Graph databases would intuitively appear more advanced than using RDF-triplet composed semantic networks but are not much different on the outside. Both jump through the same hoops but with different efficiency and grace.
- Object databases are old but on the rise with NoSQL-based thinking and the modern needs, like leanness, real-time need and scaleability for which the other solutions might be too limiting.

Relational database

Relational databases work by storing data in tabular form where columns represent data items of predetermined type and rows represent the values each "item" has. Relational databases are accessed mainly with SQL ( Structured Query Language ). However the RDBMS converts that into relational algebra and optimizes that and the relational algebra query actually returns the result table that has those columns and rows you requested.

Together Consumerium and Consumium run all the 3 major free full fledged RDBMS:

w:MariaDB, a binary compatible drop-in replacement for MySQL that provides some technical advantages and the warm feeling that this is a fork of MySQL by the original MySQL AB founders.
w:MySQL, the most widely known of free databases powering this Development Wiki
w:PostgreSQL powering the https://media.consumium.org w:GNU MediaGoblin

NoSQL databases

“A NoSQL (originally referring to "non SQL" or "non relational") database provides a mechanism for storage and retrieval of data which is modeled in means other than the tabular relations used in relational databases.”
~ Wikipedia on NoSQL

All the following database types can be considered variations of NoSQL.

Subject-predicate-object database

Subject-predicate-object databases basically construct w:semantic networks from interlinked atomic units called a w:triplet so they are not fundamentally different from graph databases in functionality and utility offered.

These networks may be queried with a suitable query language such as w:SPARQL which in practice allows you to compose semantic queries.

“SPARQL is a recursive acronym and stands for SPARQL Protocol and RDF Query Language). It is an RDF query language, that is, a semantic query language for databases, able to retrieve and manipulate data stored in Resource Description Framework (RDF) format.”
~ Wikipedia on SPARQL

“A triplestore or RDF store is a purpose-built database for the storage and retrieval of triples through semantic queries.”
~ Wikipedia on w:Triplestore

Relevant subject-predicate-object database powered systems to interoperate with

Things to consider in selection of triplestore

“Some subject-predicate-object databases (also known as triplestores) have been built as database engines from scratch, while others have been built on top of existing commercial relational database engines (e.g., SQL-based).”
~ Wikipedia on list of subject-predicate-object databases

Lists and comparisons of subject-predicate-object databases and SPARQL implementations

Graph database

A graph database stores and queries graphs.

These graphs may be stored in and constructed from RDF triplets readily so they are quite alike and overlapping in functionality offered but the query performance varies (see talk page for more).

Lists of graph databases

Wikipedia's list of graph databases

Free reading on graph databases

Free Graph Databases book from the great O'Reilly kindly provided by w:Neo4j

Object database

“An object database stores complex data and relationships between data directly, without mapping to relational rows and columns, and this makes them suitable for applications dealing with very complex data.”
~ Wikipedia on functional difference between object and relational databases

Lists of object databases

Wikipedia's list of object databases by publication date.

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 [[Copyleft]] free to modify and free in cost software is strongly preferred over other solutions. Minimal modifications required could be another preference as that means maintenance of the chosen solution is minimized in that aspect.
-'''Known types of databases'''
+''' Types of databases of interest'''
 * [[w:Relational database|Relational database]] provided by a [[w:RDBMS|RDBMS]] and queried with [[w:SQL|SQL]]. Track-proven technology.
-* [[w:NoSQL]] variates:
+* [[w:NoSQL]], ( "Not Only SQL" or have your pick on the other supposed significations ) variates:
 ** [[w:Subject-predicate-object databases]] are implemented by [[w:graph databases|graph databases]], specialized native [[w:Triplestore|triplestore]]s and piggy-packing solutions that use an RDBMS to store and query the triplets and the networks they compose.
 ** [[w:Graph databases|Graph databases]] would intuitively appear more advanced than using RDF-triplet composed semantic networks but are not much different on the outside. Both jump through the same hoops but with different efficiency and grace.
@@ Line 47: / Line 47: @@
 ==== Things to consider in selection of triplestore ====
 {{Q|Some '''subject-predicate-object databases''' (also known as ''[[w:triplestore|triplestore]]s'') have been built as database engines from scratch, while others have been built on top of existing commercial relational database engines (e.g., SQL-based).|Wikipedia|[[w:list of subject-predicate-object databases|list of subject-predicate-object databases]]}}
-A [[w:triplestore]] maybe a native implementation from ground up or be standing on the shoulders of a standard RDBMS system where actual [[w:SQL]] is formulated by the interpreter and then queried from SQL. This probably has upsides and downsides.
 ==== Lists and comparisons of subject-predicate-object databases and SPARQL implementations ====
@@ Line 73: / Line 70: @@
 {{Q|An object database stores complex data and relationships between data directly, without mapping to relational rows and columns, and this makes them suitable for applications dealing with very complex data.|Wikipedia|[[w:Object_database#Comparison_with_RDBMSs|functional difference between object and relational databases]]}}
+''' Lists of object databases '''
 * [[w:Object_database#Timeline|Wikipedia's list of object databases by publication date.]]