NOSQL and ACID : NoSQL == Not(only) SQL

Freedom for the tyranny of schemas!!!

As mentioned earlier, my main reason for venturing in to the data was the (preceived)democratization of the field because of the terms NoSQL. Which basically means that I need not have to learn a completely new language, technology as well as methodology to understand this. In a span of a week, I am already proving myself wrong again on this one: but I will explain a bit more in another post !! 

But still it makes sense to actually understand the things as well as the two parties before taking sides .

When the noSQL proponents mention SQL, it is actually a strict RDBMS they are referring to. One of the things that these systems follow is ACID properties http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACID. NOSQL thinks it is not necessary to make the data store follow all these properties. in fact adherence to these properties actually makes their solutions difficult to implement and maintain and scale. So they selectively choose some of the features of the data, depending on the properties that are important semantically for the data.

Having data completely separate from the implementation looks like a great idea from a high altitude. But this has just ended up in making database development as a completely different and an independent branch of software engineering. with the DB having its own tiers and the development team being split in two far early in the development cycle. This compartmentalization is definitely not acceptable where agility and cost are major considerations i.e. with the startups. in my not-so-educated opinion that is the reason for emergence of NOSQL.

It is definitely attractive if all the code looks almost similar for every thing instead of having a different partition and technology for maintaining the database. The ACID properties at least are used as and when they are actually necessary.

There are definite technical differences and advantages but in my opinion that is not the major reason for the emergence of nosql. The reason also has cultural and economy related shades.
This really means that there can not be a single solution that works for any context but there will be implementation dependent behavior of the data store. This really helps the edges and fringes where these things really matter because of multiple reasons. The usage where economy and speed matter most – the startups - is in my opinion one of the biggest validators of practicalities of this approach.
here are some of the reasons that I cam think of. (caveat: As I am still a novice, definitely I am either misinterpreting some of these or missing a lot more)

1. Exceptionally large size of data where the concept of a normal relational data base break.
2. Monochromatic behavior of data(remember I coined this word here ) : meaning the unique way data is generated, stored and its relevance calculated. These can be: data which comes only in append mode, data which comes from real-time streams,data where age changes the relevance etc
3. Geographic location where data is stored as well as the speed and method the computing nodes use to reach it.

But the biggest take away for me from all this is really this:
NoSQL is a loosely coupled way of thinking about your data. There are techniques which you use along with the strictly relational ACID data. That’s why most of the high scale data startups use both the approaches, depending on need. Any further advocacy of one way over other is just fanboism  
 

Seven

This is an apt picture to depict the feelings (thanks bing !!). This is deeper than just pointing seven, as it also means that stop at two kids .
There is a joke/reality/anecdote which goes like this:
In the first year of marriage, the husband speaks and the wife listens.
In the second year of marriage, the wife speaks and the husband listens.
From the third year, both of the them speak and the neighbors listen.

We are celebrating successful completion of five such years of depriving our neighbors of this particular pleasure.
We are firmly in to the zone where things are completely natural. it seems the time without each other in lives is some distant forgotten dream sequence that happened to some one else.
As Kelly puts really well in  “What technology Wants”, an all pervasive technology makes itself invisible. (e.g. how many electric motors are there in your house). We are almost there where we are so integral to each other that we are almost invisible to each other.
We can sit together for hours with out speaking, each one doing his/her own stuff and still feel this to be the best conversation in the day. Mere presence lending comfort, joy, support and criticism as and when required in the required dosages.
Like every thing interesting there is also a duality. The picture in that case some times looks like this( thankoo bing):


Only debate currently is who is Freeman ( we both have a claim there)

Even if the sum total of our time together is this, we would have exceeded our expectations:

But we definitely have much more than these to show for last seven years.



So, you are not the person who makes life worth while, you *are* life.
Why would I thank you? it will be like thanking the mirror .


But in this fit of PDA, I can definitely say one thing:

I love you .
 

Data, Data here I come :)

 

I have been trained only for being a software engineer. Though my branch in my graduation is called computer science and engineering, it was mainly geared towards the engineering part by design and also by practice. That really suited me well. I have always worked on different areas and have enjoyed solving problems in these areas.  Though I have worked on very interesting problems and I am proud of a lot of them and I think solving day to day problems and working with great people and friends is the thing that drives me most. But it is also true that I have definitely skimmed the surface as far as theory of computer science goes. But it is one of things that I want to do and I think I will enjoy it.

Also mainly my work has always been related to the code and algorithms part. Frequently I have worked with bunch of protocols but definitely I have been away from the data part almost always. The interesting stuff in public domain till that time was always related to relational data model which being ACID never really appealed me much. Actually it was the case that I had active dislike for the area. 

The cloud has changed things quiet a bit. We have actually used the concept to solve significant issues and provide definite value. This was done at very less cost. Even having incremental improvements inside the box would definitely have taken more skill and definitely more time. A separate blog post for this in the pipe line definitely .

I think the same thing is happening with data currently. Where once you have a good deal of data, it is really easy to work on it. The flexibility and scale that is afforded by the approaches definitely put me squarely in the NOSQL camp.

But I am truly a novice here.

This is the first post in the explorations of the field that I am going to start. I am planning to start a weekly post series where I am planning to dive deep in to the field and have a post for your perusal .

I am currently starting at a novice level so at some angle this can also be a fiasco to happen publicly. I have tried multiple approaches where I can maintain a sustained flow of studies and have failed. I want to try out public commitment and public shame this time. At the best it can be a measure of my internal drive as well as talent which prove how much time/energy I can afford here and how much of expertise I can show respectively. At its worst, it won’t damage much, hopefully.

New ring road

This is almost a sequel to my earlier post. it mainly tells two things, I am a sucker for the route to work if it is scenic. another is that I am an sentimental lotus eater who suddenly can find any thing romantic.

This is the way I take to work, when I am riding my bike. My bike is a Bajaj Avenger and I upgraded from my earlier scootie to it. it also has a good(!) story behind how I jumped from a scootie which could barely pull my weight to the hunk of a machine, but it is material for a completely different post.

Also I have found that I have turned less verbose (compared to earlier. But unanimous feedback is that this is for the greater good). So saying a lot of things with photographs and hiding my poor sukhangiri behind these.

More over most of these photographs are also not mine but just flicked from the net. But the feeling are genuine (hopefully )

So here is the the route I take it to work

 

Stepping stone to heaven. This stretch looks like it is ending up in the sky. For time and again I have forgotten that I am riding at all. I have definitely forgotten the speed I am going. Either I go too fast where the wind in the eyes drags me back to reality or I am going too slow and the gears scream and scrunch (N.B.  I will be the niche customer for a powerful but gearless bike )

And we all love it. But do not like when we stop to take photographs instead of speeding on the empty road

 

It has almost every thing:  it has the stone arrangements Hyderabad is (was) famous for. It has fantastic view of course and greenery: as much as is possible in hot and dry place like Hyderabad. it has roads almost going no where like the famous roads of Inca.

 

I especially like the cold evening/late night rides through it. The orbs of light exists together with all pervasive darkness. Both make each other soft and dreamy. People are in their own shell riding their own orbs. I am on my own lightening goblet, the road streaks beneath. Every thing exists without a reason: independent, irrelevant, disconnected, agamya, anaadee.

 

But of course, the best view is when it rains. and mostly when in rains in Hyderabad, it is rarely completely dark. There is beautiful hide and seek happening behind the bright blue of the clouds and stray rays of sunlight streaking through the gaps shine and make uninteresting objects like even a bulldozer resplendent with eternal glory.

Some deviations also take us to interesting places where we made some really interesting friends.

The city ensures that its beauty queen gets new curves every often. One such virgin stretch.

We some times found not frequented parts of the road and rolled down the slope (note: father does not need wheels )

And the destination (photograph from my office looking back)

.