This time, I wanted to ask the opinion of an ODBMS vendor on the topic of “NoSQL databases”. I therefore asked Robert Charles Greene, V.P. Open Source Operations, at Versant Corporation.<\/p>\n
RVZ: Robert, you represent an ODBMS vendor, what is your opinion of the so called “NoSQL databases”? Are object databases “NoSQL” technologies?<\/i><\/p>\n
Robert Charles Greene<\/b>:
I find that lots of folks are getting all worked up over the dubbed “No SQL” movement. I guess it`s because one can easily make assumptions and draw a would be obvious analogy to a “No Relational” movement and that would certainly be something to get worked up over. <\/p>\n
As the object database guy, I see the core message being conveyed as, “one size does not fit all” when it comes to data management. That`s a far cry from abandoning the SQL approach to data management and in my mind leaves little to defend, though some seem to feel threatened enough by the catch phrase to sound the alarm. <\/p>\n
In some sense, this notion that “one size does not fit all” is an important change in attitude, because for many years one size fits all was prevalent. Only as the internet gave way to the masses and large scale concurrency and data generation ushered in a new era has the relational way of doing data management truly begun to break down, opening the door to alternatives. <\/p>\n
The “right tool for the job” has once again become a mantra of the software development community and equally important, the mantra of the decision makers in Enterprise I.T. As evidence, one has to look no further than the proliferation of data warehousing solutions outside the realm of relational database technology, ironically, to support the adhoc query and analytics, the founding pillars of the past which brought the relational database to such high esteem. Indeed, necessity may well be the mother of invention, for if not, it would most certainly be the father of adoption. So, if the RDB is no longer the king of query, then really, what is there to get all worked up about if necessity drives adoption in yet even more directions. <\/p>\n
So, what is this NoSQL movement all about and does it warrant the public espousal of opinions. Well, as stated above, this is an important change in attitude which will bring valuable choices to our industry making us better equipped to deal with today`s infrastructure challenges, so yes, indeed it is worth discussion. <\/p>\n