Choosing a Database Type for a New Project
Compare relational, document and other options fairly.
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Help me choose a database. Project: [PROJECT_DESCRIPTION]. Data shape and relationships: [DATA_SHAPE]. Read and write patterns: [ACCESS_PATTERNS]. Team skills: [TEAM_SKILLS]. Hosting limits: [HOSTING]. Use this tree: do records relate to each other with rules that must always hold? A relational database is usually right. Is the data mostly self-contained documents with varied fields? Consider a document store. Is it mainly lookups by key at high speed? Consider a key-value store. Is it search over text? Consider a search engine alongside the main database. Return a recommendation, one alternative, a table of trade-offs for my case, the biggest risk of the recommendation and what would change your mind. Avoid trends; focus on my needs. Add a worked mini-example for a project with relationships between customers, orders and items, showing why a relational database fits, and a contrasting example of a content system with varying fields where a document store is simpler. State the importance of backups, migration tooling and hiring for each choice. Remind me to prototype the three hardest queries on the candidate before deciding.
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