Higher Level (AHL) topic A3.4. A relational database is only one way to store data. This unit covers the other database models the course expects you to know, how data warehouses hold historical data for analysis, how OLAP and data mining turn that data into business intelligence, and how distributed databases spread data across many sites.
Slide 1 / 4
Alternatives to a relational database
Relational databases store data in multiple related tables, but other models suit other needs.
NoSQL databases store data in documents with a flexible schema, so they scale well for very large data volumes and high user loads.
Platform as a Service (PaaS) is a cloud-based database hosted on a remote platform: it gives global access and dynamic scaling, though the network can add latency.
Spatial (GIS) databases are optimised for geographical data such as points, lines and polygons, while in-memory databases keep all data in RAM for fast real-time processing but lose the data if they crash.
Check you've got it
0/4
1. How does a NoSQL database typically store data, in contrast to a relational database?
2. Which set of four characteristics describes a data warehouse?
3. Which OLAP operation rotates the data cube to view it from a different dimension?
4. In a distributed database, what does replication mean?
Free revision content. Multiple-choice answers are marked instantly. Written answers are marked by AI on /free-mark.