How to Query NoSQL?
In NoSql, we query collections (rather than tables) of documents with loosely defined fields.
NoSQL uses a language called as UnQL. UnQL stands for Unstructured Query Language.
UnQL is a superset of SQL within which SQL is a very constrained type of UnQL
Here’s few example UnQL snippets for you.
INSERT INTO xyz VALUE 1234;
INSERT INTO fgh VALUE 3.141592653;
INSERT INTO mno VALUE "This is a string";
INSERT INTO yyy VALUE ["this", "is", "an", "array"];
INSERT INTO cde VALUE {
type: "message",
content: "This is an object“
};
INSERT INTO ghi VALUE {
type: "nested",
content: {
content: "nested object",
x: 1,
y: {str: "hi",
str2: "there"},
z: true
}
};
Are there any Challenges in using NoSQL?
Yes there are a few challenges.
Maturity
Currently in a very early stage of development
Limited support
Being an Open source technology, opens up quite a few questions on support availability.
Analytics and Business Intelligence
Not as sophisticated and advanced as RDBMS systems
Administration
Needs expertise to admin the system properly.
Expertise
Since it is an emerging technology finding experts is not easy.
ACID property
ACID stands for Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, and Durability.
Since NoSql has relaxed ACID property, it is slightly less reliable.
Lacks Robustness
Not as robust as the other matured DB systems
So, what’s in store for NoSql?
NoSQL databases gives us an option to solve problems that are born with the global digital data growth.
But NoSQL databases won’t replace relational databases as such. Instead it will become a better option for certain types of applications like data-intensive applications.