Data Stores¶
Explore the main types of data storage solutions and their characteristics.
Relational Database¶
- Data stored in tables with rows and columns
- Relationships established via keys (unique columns per row)
- Supports complex queries and transactions
Examples: SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL
Key-Value Store¶
| Structure | Relationship |
|---|---|
| Semi-structured | Non-relational |
- Optimized for fast data writes and simple operations
- Each item referenced by a unique key
- Supported operations: Query, Insert, Delete
Examples: Redis, Azure Table Storage
Column Family Database¶
| Structure | Relationship |
|---|---|
| Semi-structured | Non-relational |
- Data organized into rows and columns, grouped into column families
- Column families store related columns together for efficiency
Examples: Cassandra, HBase
Graph Database¶
| Structure | Relationship |
|---|---|
| Semi-structured | Non-relational |
- Stores data as nodes (entities) and edges (relationships)
- Designed to represent complex and hierarchical relationships
- Supports parent/child, directional, and attribute-rich connections
Examples: Neo4j, Azure Cosmos DB (Gremlin API)
Document Database¶
| Structure | Relationship |
|---|---|
| Semi-structured | Non-relational |
- Each document holds all data for a single entity; schema can vary per document
- Documents identified by unique keys, read/written as single blocks
- No enforced relationships or schema across documents
Examples: MongoDB, Azure Cosmos DB
JSON Example¶
- Fields identified by labels and values (e.g.,
"ID": "Joe") - Curly brackets
{}enclose documents and sub-documents - Azure Cosmos DB is a common solution for JSON document storage
Table Store¶
| Structure | Relationship |
|---|---|
| Semi-structured | Non-relational |
- Uses rows and columns, but schema is not enforced
- Each row can have a different number of columns
Examples: Azure Table Storage
Object Store¶
| Structure | Relationship |
|---|---|
| Unstructured | Non-relational |
- Optimized for storing/retrieving large binary objects (blobs), such as audio and video files
Examples: Azure Blob Storage