Data is one of the most important drivers of business intelligence on the planet. With data, a business can better predict trends, greatly improve customer relations, empower delivery chains, improve decision-making, refine operations, and create new revenue streams.
When you think of data, you probably think of databases. After all, databases are the primary tool for collecting and manipulating data. So, without a database, data isn’t much good.
One of the first things to understand is that not all databases are created equal. With regards to data (and database development), there are two important types of databases, relational and NoSQL. Of the two types, NoSQL is the best option for big data, because of its speed and ability to handle massive troves of data.
That means your company is going to have to place a primary focus on NoSQL databases and their development.
NoSQL database development is considerably different than that of relational databases. With NoSQL databases, data is stored in documents that don’t have nearly the rigid structure of their relational counterparts.
Best NoSQL Databases
There are several NoSQL databases available today, but two stand out among the crowd:
MongoDB
Open-source, document NoSQL database that offers widely-supported, code-native data access, powerful querying and analytics, horizontal scale-out (using sharding), has a simple installation, and is incredibly fast when working with massive amounts of data.
Cassandra
Open-source, wide-column store distributed NoSQL database designed specifically to handle massive amounts of data across numerous commodity servers with high availability.
NoSQL Vs. SQL
One of the biggest reasons to use NoSQL over SQL is that NoSQL databases are horizontally scalable, which means it’s far cheaper to use NoSQL at scale than it is a relational database. Also, NoSQL databases don’t have to conform to the rigid structure found in SQL databases. That means you have more flexibility in how you design your databases.
Another area NoSQL bests SQL is within the realm of cloud-native and web app development. NoSQL databases are very developer-friendly, so your company is less likely to have to hire a database manager just to work with developers to interface with data.
NoSQL Database Application Development
NoSQL database application development can be applied to the following areas:
- eCommerce.
- Mobile applications.
- Fraud detection.
- Digital/Mobile data and communications.
- Analyzing huge amounts of data for trend tracking.
- Internet of Things (IoT)
- Real-time data access and management.
- Backend data analysis.
Some of the bigger names that develop with and depend on NoSQL databases include Uber, Cisco, Netflix, Forbes, Accenture, Facebook Messenger, Gmail, and LinkedIn.
NoSQL Developer Hiring Guide
One thing to keep in mind is that NoSQL databases don’t use the traditional SQL query language. Many NoSQL databases have their own query language. And because you have so many choices of NoSQL databases, you must not only first select the NoSQL database you’re going to use, you need to hire developers who are familiar with that particular database query language. For example, you wouldn’t hire a developer familiar with CouchBase for MongoDB. The CouchBase query language is N1QL, whereas the MongoDB query language is MQL.
It’s also important to consider salary. As it happens with most positions in the tech industry, what you’ll need to pay to employ a NoSQL developer will depend on current demand and availability. That makes it impossible to know precisely how much you’ll need to pay these engineers. However, know that NoSQL developers have been in demand for quite some time, so it’s likely that you’ll have to consider salaries over $120,000 per year.
BairesDev Development Services for NoSQL Databases
If you’re looking to hire a NoSQL developer, or a team of developers, contact us and we’ll start working to form the ideal team to meet and exceed your NoSQL developer needs.
