Re: [libreoffice-users] mongodb and base

(Kind of wandering off the mailing list's topic, but...)

On Sat, 22 Nov 2014 21:25:17 -0500
"Eric S. Johansson" <esj@esjworks.com> wrote:

>
[snip]
> No problem, I appreciate the input. Unfortunately, my experience
> with SQL over the past 30 years has taught me to stay away from SQL
> as far as absolutely possible.

It's kind of sounding like your issue isn't "SQL," per se, but the
entire relational model.  It is true that, for some applications, the
relational model does not work well.

[snip]
> Usually, the group of people I
> work with leave the database to the very last and isolated. We do
> that so the rest of the application is not contaminated by SQL isms
> and we have a nailed down definition of the schema.

*That*, IMO, when you know your backend store is going to be on an
RDBMS, is just asking for grief.

It's been years since I studied theory on software system design
methodologies, but, last I did, it was coming into vogue to first
design *all* of the data elements, and their transformations, then
design the software around that.  My last couple major projects I
used such systems and they worked quite well.

> We don't have
> hard numbers yet but with MongoDB, we are not getting any of the
> chaos and heartache that SQL delivers on a regular basis.

I just took a quick look at MongoDB.  Looks interesting.  But, just
as being locked into knowing only the RDBMS solution results in the
"if all you have is a hammer" syndrome: I'd argue that one could not
*possibly* deliver the best solutions for all scenarios approaching
them from the perspective that "RDBMS' are to be avoided to the
extent possible, and then left to the last minute."

It's like the "big data" question.  There are really, really large
datasets that aren't well-suited to common RDBMS', either.  At the
opposite end: Tiny databases in embedded systems.  Then there are
directories (read-heavy, light on write activity).

> I really do wish I SQL would go the way of COBOL.

I would never say "impossible," but it seems unlikely in the extreme.
SQL is simply a human-oriented way of interfacing with an RDBMS, and
RDBMS' are well-suited to any number of solutions requiring
datastores.

I'm glad you raised this issue, however.  I had not been aware of
MongoDB.  It deserves a close look.  Thanks!

Regards,
Jim
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