A database is by definition a collection of information that has been deliberately well organized in order to provide efficient retrieval. The information can be in a whole variety of formats but for our purposes, we will consider information that is stored in digital format. In a nutshell, a digital database is just a collection of schemas, tables, queries, reports and views and other objects and it is organized to model the reality as closely as possible. To manage and analyze a database, you need to invest in a database administrator who will give you insights into the data.
The fact of the matter is that you can opt to use an SQL or NoSQL database and each of these types of databases has their strengths and weaknesses and so to be sure, you need to choose a database that mimics the purposes that you want to use it for. SQL databases are ideal for the storage of structured data as they manage these types of data very efficiently whereas NoSQL databases are excellent for managing mountains upon mountains of unstructured data. Therefore, the best thing that you need to do for yourself before settling on database type is to consider your uses for it.
SQL vs. NoSQL
An SQL database is one which has data arranged in clear columns and rows. It is information which relies on the Structured Queried Language, SQL. SQL is just a special purpose programming language which was designed for the management of data which is held in a relational database management system, RDBMs. For purposes of and the scope of this article, it is important to consider that SQL databases preceded NoSQL databases. The SQL language was created as a subset of algebra which relies on data definition, manipulation and control language.
The NoSQL databases were created to fill the void left by the creation of large sets of data which were not structured and thus had no place in SQL databases. These datasets include data such as video, audio and text. Formally, NoSQL database provide a mechanism for storing and retrieving data which has not been modeled in tabular form. They are ideally suited for use in big data and therefore, they are the databases which have the most use in the current world where data is not modeled or can be stored in tabular SQL databases. They are simpler in design and they can scale well when inundated with large datasets without breaking.
One of the best of the pack in managing NoSQL databases is Hadoop. Apache Hadoop is an open-source software that is used for distributed storage and the distributed processing of very large datasets that are stored on computer clusters that are built on commonly available server hardware. Hadoop is composed of two aspects which work in tandem to ensure that large datasets are managed well and in the most efficient way possible. If you want to understand the power of Hadoop, you need to visualize how companies like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn manage their very large datasets which number in the billions of Gigabytes i.e. Yottabyes.
Let us briefly look at Hadoop and understand what makes it special. As mentioned above, Hadoop consists of two distinct segments; a storage part and a processing part. The storage part is known as the Hadoop Distributed File System, HDFS, and the processing part is known as MapReduce. These two, collectively referred to as Hadoop, split large files across large blocks and distributes them across the nodes in a cluster. In a bid to process this data, it transfers the code for processing across parallel nodes which makes for quick and efficient management of large datasets which can consist of streaming data.
It is therefore quite clear from the above definitions that Hadoop is the most efficient way of managing large sets of data. The challenge, however, lies in finding the technical personnel to manage Hadoop. The experts are few and far between and they are expensive to keep in-house, hence the need for you to consider outsourcing these services to the specialists. For this purpose, you need the help of Remote DBA Experts bespoke firms whose reason for existence is just to take care of all your big data needs from databases such as Hadoop.
Therefore, in your pursuit of these remote database administrators, you need to bear in mind the following;
- Expertise–Considering that this type of technology is just getting off the ground from use by large data driven companies to widespread adoption by firms of all types and sizes, it is important that you engage with the firm that boasts of a large number of experts who are proficient in using this technology to manage large file systems.
- Availability – Considering the fact that you will be corresponding with these remote workers who are separated from you by great distance and time, then it becomes important that you have clear lines of communication which will allow you to engage in conversations with them instantly the moment an issue arises that needs urgent attention.
- Reliability–Over and above the remote database administrators being readily available and at your beck and call, you must make sure that you are dealing with a team that is fully reliable. This means that they should be able to take care of all your needs within the shortest period of time and in the most efficient and consistent manner.
Since you might never have the opportunity to deal with them one-on-one on a day-to-day basis in order to have your issues resolved, you must maintain a clear channel of communication. Once you have all the above issues well taken care of, you should just sit back and get on with your core business which is to create value for your customers. Hadoop is a smart investment for any forward-looking firm and remote database administrators have just made it that much easier for you to get in on the action.