In Search of the Elastic Database

The relational database management system (RDBMS) is a triumph of computer science. For more than two decades it has provided the data management layer for almost all major applications. When you consider that the entire IT industry was once described as "data processing," this is indeed a considerable achievement. 

However, for the first time in decades the relational database’s monopoly on database management is weakening. The demands of big data and cloud computing have combined to create challenges that the RDBMS cannot completely address. 

In this white paper we’ll review the challenges facing the RDBMS and how "cloud" or "NoSQL" database systems have emerged as alternative approaches in response.