Handling Big Data Using NoSQL

With the emergence of Big Data, the use of NoSQL (Not only SQL) technology is rising rapidly among internet companies and other enterprises. Benefits include simplicity of design, horizontal scaling and finer control over availability. NoSQL databases are increasingly considered a viable alternative to relational databases, as more organizations recognize that its schema less data model is a better method for handling the large volumes of structured, semi structured and unstructured data, being captured and processed today. For example NoSQL databases are often used to collect and store social media data. This paper aims to introduce the concepts behind NoSQL, provides a review of relevant literature, highlights the different NoSQL database types, and provide arguments for and against adopting NoSQL. A small prototype application has been developed to assess the stated NoSQL benefits and illustrate the differences between the SQL and NoSQL approaches. The last section of the paper offers some conclusions and recommendations for further research to expand upon our research work.