Database Development: Choosing the right database for your application

Choosing the right database for an application can become complex. However, it is much simpler compared to everyone’s expectations. Just like any endeavor, making the right choice would dictate the future of your application. Albeit being simpler with the right information at hand, deciding on a database would require the examination of multiple factors.

Factoring information is key to understanding the weight of your decisions on the right database. Since it could cost you a lot if you made a wrong choice. This is important for all software projects including software developers’ insurance and the like. With enough knowledge, you will understand how to improve an application’s performance, scalability, and the like–preventing yourself from making matters worse.

With that, it is important to know the different aspects of a database. Knowing these things would mean that you know what will help your application the most.

What is a Database?

Data is the heart of systems and storing data has become an important aspect of Information Technology.  In general terms, a database is a collection of information. At present time, a database is vital for organizing vast data. Having a database could enable you to store, access, and organize data. Databases also analyze these data by engaging with users.

The increasing importance of databases gave way to the increase in spending for such. 2022 data saw a $225B spending on cloud infrastructure services, a type of modern storage. This means that more businesses are investing in efficient databases for their endeavors. Hence, it is important to know how to choose the right one.

How to Choose the Right Database

Now, we must identify what aspects must be considered in choosing the right database for your application. Here are key aspects to keep in mind.

Know What the Project Requires

You must identify what the specific needs of your projects are. Recognizing these requirements can be done by asking the right questions. You may ponder on these questions:

• How much data do I expect to be stored and analyzed?
• Do I have any specific security concerns?
• What data types will be stored and handled in my application? Is it relational, structured, etc.?

Moreover, you have to consider if your application is fixed or will change over time. Increasing the reach of your project would mean an increase in its scale and services. Hence, you would need an adaptable database management system (DBSM).

Database Type

You have to decide on which database type you would need. It can be a relational or non-relational database depending on the needs and model of your application.

Relational databases are reliable if you need complex queries and data consistency. Structured Query Language (SQL) Databases fall under this type. MySQL is a well-known DBMS, reaching the top three in the 2022 most popular DBMS. On the other hand, MongoDB is an example of a non-relational/NoSQL database. These can handle unstructured and larger amounts of data, and offer more flexibility for developers.

Considering Scalability

Knowing your application’s scalability requirements is also important. It will depend on the amount of data you wish to store. Moreover, it depends on the anticipated traffic of your application. 

Horizontal scalability would benefit from a NoSQL database. It could add more nodes to a cluster of data and deal with unpredictable processes. SQL database is useful for vertical scalability by adding more resources to a server. It can also deal with more predictable data as compared to NoSQL databases.

Budgeting and Cost

A smaller budget would mean a less functional DBMS. Consequently, the need for a more complex DBMS would require more financial resources. You must know what the project’s budget is to decide on the matter.

Moreover, databases have licensing costs. There are free databases like open-source ones but commercial licensing comes at a price. You must also consider the cost of other aspects of the project like maintenance, support, and ownership.

Flexibility

Lastly, you must choose a database that is adaptable to your future plans for the application. It is much easier to have a primary database that is flexible than migrating to a new one in the future. If you want to increase your services and the scale of your application, then you could benefit more from an open-source database. This would give you the freedom to tweak your project when you need to do so.

In Conclusion

In the end, choosing the right database is a multi-faceted decision. Besides considering what the project needs, you must also know the constraints of your endeavor. Whether it be a resource or time constraint, having this information is essential. Ultimately, you must take your time in making decisions. Remember that it is better to be safe than sorry and that you are the only one who knows what is best for your project.