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Comment by atomical | Hacker News Reader

Most data is relational. If you put relational data in a NoSQL database you end up writing an API that is similar to SQL.

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Yup, and you move data logic from a stable, baked solution (your RDBMS of choice) to the application layer. Best case, you end up with something as well-implemented as SQL, but you're maintaining it as part of the app logic. Might as well let the database do it.

Most structured data is relational. If you include data like (someone else's) web site content, images, sound files, video files, etc, it's a different picture (pardon the pun).

How is NoSQL better than simply using the filesystem?

I'm not an expert on NoSQL, but based on general computer knowledge I would say some advantages over a filesystem would be:

  1. Single entry point.
  2. Not having to share your filesystem.
  3. Centralized security separated from your OS
  4. Simple key/value access (no folder structure)
  5. Abstraction of the filesystem (like #2)
  6. Distribution of data over multiple nodes.
  7. Separation of NoSQL admin and network admins.
  8. Shiney new thing :)

I'm sure now a days, an advanced filesystem/sharing protocol would handle some of these.

The biggest advantage is that you get transactions. (Or Not). Possibly faster small objects with less (memory, storage) overhead.

For one, should be faster for small operations.

Some databases also let you define secondary indexes.

Filter it through logstash (or something) and then structure it :D Literally just "collect everything", store in ES, model what you need later.

It's a bit weird, but logstash & elasticsearch (and relating/extracting data when and where I need it into postgres) have made my life so much easier

Most data is structured. A lot of other data (mages, sound, video) can be stored untransformed as binary. If there is a middle ground between those, it's really really small.

> If you put relational data in a NoSQL database you end up writing an API that is similar to SQL

Yep. Except sometimes without the benefits of a query planner, standardization, or comprehensibility. NoSQL is better in every way, right?

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