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IT Essentials — Assessing Infrastructure and Networks

Non-relational or Not Only SQL (NoSQL) database characteristics:
 Datasets arranged in clusters and non-tabular format.
 Accommodate unstructured data in a modern big data environment.
 Simple design for different types of data (e.g., time series, contacts, media).

Relational Database Management Systems

Relational database management systems (RDBMS) are platforms that allow users to update, create,
append, and delete table data within a relational database. RDBMS are typically proprietary,
requiring licensed use. Typical RDBMS include Microsoft SQL Server, IBM DB2, Oracle Database,
MySQL, and Microsoft Access.

SQL Database Language

SQL is a database language used by the RDBMS to interact with (query) data in tables. A SQL Query
looks like this:

In this example, all entries from a table called “Members” are selected in which the value in the Age
column is greater than 30.

Non-relational Databases

A NoSQL database is a category of non-relational database management systems. These databases
do not conform to the “relational” model of a database, in which there is a significant increase in the
database workload and where a typical approach would be to upgrade hardware to meet
performance expectations. NoSQL databases are popular with entities that deal with enormous and
varied data elements and wish to scale out in a more efficient manner.

There is a time and cost impact of not using the typical relational database approach, which is
referred to as “scaling up.”
 Scaling up is about making one database bigger so it can handle more load.
 Scaling out is spreading out the load amongst multiple instances of the database.

Network, Servers, and Operating Systems

We have discussed hardware, applications, OSs, and data storage, but how is information actually
shared between devices?

Data and information is shared over a network, which is a connection of two or more IT hardware
components set up with the purpose of sharing data and information. The data and information you
share resides on a server that is accessed over the network.

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