Web-Based Systems - NoSQL and MongoDB - Case Study Example

Web-based System Web based systems Web based systems are applications or services that reside on the server, and they can be accessed using the web browser. They are the best way to take advantage of the current technology in order to promote the efficiency and productivity in an organization. Relational databases A relational database presents data in the form of tables with columns and rows (Ticknor and Corcoran, 2011). Data presented in the table should be related depending on the concepts and common keys, as well as the ability to retrieve related data from a table. Relational data has certain integrity rules so as to make sure the data stays accurate and accessible always. First, in a relational table, the rows should always be distinct. Second, the values in the column should not be repeating groups or allays. Examples of relational database systems include MySQL, MS SQL Server, and PostgreSQL(Ticknor and Corcoran, 2011). The traditional way where databases were just one long text files known as tab delimited file was very tedious because the user had to search through the whole file in order to get the required data. However, relational databases make it very easy to find information and sort it according to field and produce reports that have only the required fields. Also, they help the user to compare data quickly due to the arrangement of information in columns, which helps relational database to build new tables from the information available on the existing tables. Moreover, relational databases are flexible since different tables with data can be manipulated easily by operators according to their needs (Ticknor and Corcoran, 2011). The security control, as well authorization can be easily implemented by moving certain attributes in a table into a different relation that has its own authorization controls among others. However, relational databases tend to have low performance especially in if the tables are large and many. They also consume a lot of physical storage and they extract data meaning quite slowly. Non relational databases A non relational database refers to a database that does not integrate the table/key model, which is promoted by the relational databases. They require manipulation of data processes and the applied techniques provide solutions to big data solutions mainly faced by large companies. The main examples of relational database systems include NoSQL and MongoDB. O’Brien and Marakas (2011) point out that non-relational databases are mainly incorporated into websites like Yahoo, Facebook and Amazon. However, although relational databases have prevailed for many years, non-relational databases seem to gain dominance today due to various advantages. Non-relational databases designed in such a way that they can expand transparency in order to take advantage of the new code and the commodity hardware is quite affordable (O’Brien and Marakas, 2011). In addition, they can handle a large volume of data and they require less management since they have automatic repair and simpler data models than RDBMS. Also, they have highly flexible data models because they have relaxed data restrictions. Nevertheless, there are several challenges that affect the effectiveness of non-relational databases. Most enterprises want assurance that if a system fails, they will still be able to get timely support. However, NRDBMS are usually start-up companies that do not have enough support resources or credibility of Microsoft, Oracle or IBM (O’Brien and Marakas, 2011). Also, most NRDBMS do not have stable and functional systems because they have not been around for a long time and most developers are still learning about it. Storing Data on stand-alone servers Servers can be defined as computers in a network used to provide service and can be used in both short-term and long-term operations, and thus, help to promote business productivity. They make business operations easy by enabling total control of storing of documents, limiting access of confidential documents by setting additional controls, and enabling easier performance for uploading, as well as viewing documents among others. Therefore, stand-alone servers refer to servers which are not connected to any domain such as servers that are independent of domain controllers and function mostly as workgroup servers (Capehart et al., 2005). In addition, they are configured with at least a security control so as to ensure all data served is readily available to all users. According to Capehart et al. (2005), stand-alone servers are common installations because they can be secure or insecure or have simple or very complex configurations depending on a person’s needs. Moreover, they do not require any special action since all that one needs to do is just to create a user account. Also, they do not offer a network logon service, which means that the logon facility is does not depend on the given machine although it is essential to accommodate any network user so that the logon name they use can be mapped locally on a stand-alone server to a locally known username. Systems available on stand-alone servers include the IBM Systems Workload Estimator (WLE), which is a sizing tool for IBM Flex systems, IBM BladeCenter, System z, System x and Power Systems. It can be used to size and upgrade to a system that already exists, size a new system or several systems. Another system available on stand-alone servers is the Oracle Grid Infrastructure. It is the oracle software, which provides support of the system for an Oracle database such as file system, volume management and automatic restart options (Capehart et al., 2005). Stand alone servers are quite flexible, they have a quick recovery time, and they are easy to cool and scale because they have low component density and multiple servers can be added to an already existing network respectively (Capehart et al., 2005). However, stand-alone servers have several disadvantages. They are quite heavy and bulky, very noisy, require many operation costs and they easily run out of storage space and speed decreases in large or user-saturated environments. Cloud-based storage Miller (2008) defines cloud storage as saving data in a storage system or remote database that is under the maintenance of a third party and not the computer’s hard drive or local storage device. In this case,the internet is required to connect the database and the computer. Cloud storage is now a significant part of modern lives both at the workplace and also at home. There are several service providers which provide cloud storage such as Mozy, IDrive, iCloud, Carbonite, Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, Microsoft OneDrive, Spideroak, and Amazon Cloud Drive (Miller 2008). The creation of all these providers is not the same; hence, choosing the best to use depends preference of the on the user. According to Miller (2008), choosing a cloud storage provider that is cheaper than the rest does not imply that one will get the value for his/her money. Therefore, a customer should choose a provider that offers superior features, and is reliable no matter the how high the cost. Moreover, Miller (2008), argues that in order to get the value for money when looking for the best provider, it is essential to look for one which can help a person access their file from anywhere, one which has free trial offers, has unlimited online storage, has 100 percent automated online backup, and one that has the ability to sync with several computers. Cloud storage has several advantages compared to the traditional way of storing data. For instance, a person can access data stored on cloud storage from any location as long as there is an internet connection. Thus, a person does not need to retrieve information from the same computer he/she saved data. As such, the cloud storage is more flexible and convenient than the traditional way of data storage. If computer hard drive gets infected by a virus and needs formatting, a person can still access his/her data if it is also in cloud storage. Moreover, it is easy to share files on cloud storage with several people by simply allowing them to have direct access to an individuals cloud storage or to send them the link (Miller, 2008). Cloud storage disadvantages include difficulties in downloading large files especially when internet connection is slow. Thus, it is not advisable to store very large files in cloud storage. Also, security on cloud storage is a major concern since it is easy to spread viruses through file sharing just like in traditional forms of data storage. Moreover, the users of cloud storage have no control over the hardware where they store their files. For instance, if the provider decides to shut down the service, users will likely lose their data since cloud storage will be inaccessible. Nevertheless, cloud storage is a beneficial backup way for storing and sharing small files. HTML5 web storage Today, HTML5 is the prevalent web storage in web development mainly due its new features, which are a great boost to web developers who want to increase the speed and flexibility of their websites. HTML5 web storage is a simple client side database which enables users to persist files in the form of key/value pairs (Pilgrim, 2010). There are four methods of HTML5 web storage that include i) setltem (key, value), which adds key and value pair to the object in session storage, ii) getltem (key), which helps in retrieving the value of certain key, iii) removeltem (key) that helps to remove the key/value pair from the object in session storage and iv) key (n) which helps in retrieving the value for key (n) (Pilgrim, 2010). It is supported by newer browser versions such as Opera, Chrome, Firefox, and Safari and IE8+. Web storage consists of two types; the local storage and the session storage, where local storage stores data for a long time (indefinitely) while session storage stores data for a short period of time (temporarily) (Pilgrim, 2010). These two types help the website owner to know which data is expected when and for how long it should be stored; hence, making it easy to implement. HTML5 web storage is different from other forms of data storage in that it is simple to use and makes it possible to store arbitrary values easily in the browser. Other advantages include the ability to store data totally on the side of the client without transferring data between the server and client on each request (Rhea et al., 2001). They have larger storage space than the traditional cookies, which have data storage limitations, and most importantly, HTML5 has session-based and persistent storage, a simple API and a model event is available, which helps to keep windows and browsers synchronized (Pilgrim, 2010). However, HTML5 web storage has several disadvantages such as only string values are present; hence, serialization is required. Data is unstructured with no indexing, transactions or searching facilities and also web storage may not work well on large datasets. Bibliography Capehart, B., Capehart , L., and Lynne, C. (2005) Web Based Energy Information and Control Systems: Case Studies and Applications. Georgia: The Fairmont Press, Inc. Miller, M. (2008) Cloud Computing: Web-Based Applications That Change the Way You Work and Collaborate Online. Indiana: Que Publishing. Pilgrim, M. (2010) HTML5: Up and Running. Cambridge: OReilly Media, Inc. O’Brien, J. A. and Marakas, G. M. (2011) Computer Software Management Information Systems, 10th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Rhea, S., Wells, C., and Eaton, P. (2001) Maintenance-Free Global Data Storage. IEEE Internet Computing , 5, pp 40–49. Ticknor, M. and Corcoran, A. (2011) BM WebSphere Application Server V8 Concepts, Planning, and Design Guide. New York: IBM Redbooks Read More