Compare and contrast the different types of database models:

In this part of documentation I will compare and contrast the different types of database models.
This comparison will include the comparison among different database models such as relational
database model, network database model, object-oriented database model, entity relationship, no
SQL database model and document model. This comparison will be based on these database
models’ advantages, disadvantages, performance, reliability, accuracy and so on.

1. Relational Database Model

2. Hierarchical Database Model
3. Network Database Model
4. Object Oriented Database Model
5. Entity Relationship Database Model
6. No SQL Database Model

Explanation:

1. Relational Database Model:

In this type of database model, the data sorts into tables, also known as relations, each of the
relation consists of columns and rows. Each column lists an attribute of the entity in question,
such as price, product name, quantity, expiry date and so on. Together, the attributes in a relation
are called a domain. A particular attribute or combination of attributes is chosen as a primary key
that can be referred to in other tables, when it’s called a foreign key.

Each row, also called a tuple, includes data about a specific instance of the entity in question,
such as a particular employee. The model also accounts for the types of relationships between
those tables, including one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many relationships. Here are some
key features:

 Each relation in a database must have a distinct or unique name which would separate it

from the other relations in a database.
 A relation must not have two attributes with the same name. Each attribute must have a
distinct name.
  Duplicate tuples must not be present in a relation.
 Tuples in a relation do not have to follow a significant order as the relation is not order-
sensitive.
 Similarly, the attributes of a relation also do not have to follow certain ordering, it’s up to
the developer to decide the ordering of attributes.

Here are the some advantages and disadvantages of Relational Database Model:

Advantages Disadvantages

 It is the simplest and easy to use, data  Few relational databases have limits
model. on field lengths which can't be
 It hides the physical storage details exceeded.
from the database developers and  Relational databases can sometimes
database users. become complex as the amount of data
 It is scalable as we can keep adding grows, and the relations between
records and attributes to records in a pieces of data become more
database. complicated.
 Complex relational database systems
may lead to isolated databases where
the information cannot be shared from
one system to another.

Hence above explained is Relational Database Model.

2. Hierarchical Database Model:

The hierarchical model organizes data into a tree-like structure, where each record has a single
parent or root. Sibling records are sorted in a particular order. That order is used as the physical
order for storing the database. This model is good for describing many real-world relationships.
This model structure allows the one-to-one and a one-to-many relationship between two or
various types of data. This structure is very helpful in describing many relationships in the real
world, table of contents, any nested and sorted information. Here are some key features:

 Many to many relationships: It only supports one to many relationships. Many to many
relationships are not supported in this database model.
 Problem in Deletion: If a parent is deleted then the child automatically gets deleted.
 Hierarchy of data: Data is represented in a hierarchical tree-like structure.
  Parent-child relationship: Each child can have only one parent but a parent can have
more than one children.
 Pointer: Pointers are used for linking records that tell which is a parent and which child
record is.
 Disk input and output is minimized: Parent and child records are placed or stored close
to each other on the storage device which minimizes the hard disk input and output.
 Fast navigation: As parent and child are stored close to each other so access time is
reduced and navigation becomes faster.
 Predefined relationship: All relations between root, parent and child nodes are
predefined in the database schema.
 Re-organization difficulty: Hierarchy prevents the re-organization of data.
 Redundancy: One to many relationships increases redundancy in the data which leads to
the retrieval of inaccurate data.

Here are the some advantages and disadvantages of Hierarchical Database Model:

Advantages Disadvantages

 Data can be retrieved easily due to the  Hierarchical model is Complex.

explicit links present between the  One parent per child is allowed in
table structures. hierarchical model.
 Referential integrity is always  Data must be organized in a
maintained i.e. any changes made in hierarchical fashion and it is done
the parent table are automatically without compromising the
updated in a child table. information.
 Promotes data sharing.  There is a Lack of structural
 It is conceptually simple due to the independence in hierarchical model.
parent-child relationship.  Navigation system is complex in
 Database security is enforced. hierarchical model.
 Efficient with 1: N relationships.  In Hierarchical model, Data is
 A clear chain of command or independent.
authority.  Hierarchical model does not support
 Increases specialization. many to many relationships.
 It provide high performance.
 It shows clear results.
Hence above explained is Hierarchical Database Model.

3. Network Database Model:

The network model builds on the hierarchical model by allowing many-to-many relationships
between linked records, implying multiple parent records. Based on mathematical set theory, the
model is constructed with sets of related records. Each set consists of one owner or parent record
and one or more member or child records. A record can be a member or child in multiple sets,
allowing this model to convey complex relationships. Here are some key features:

 The network model is better than a hierarchical model.

 It supports many to many relationships.

 Many parents can have many children.

 Many children can have many parents.

 Entities are represented as a connected network with each other.

 One child entity can have more than one parent entity.

 Represented as a network and one child can have more than one parent. This model
represents a complex structure.

 Entities can have multiple parent entities and lead to a complex structure.

 Not very flexible to reorganize the model.

 It offer high performance.

 Query facility is not available in the network model.

Here are the some advantages and disadvantages of Network Database Model:

Advantages Disadvantages
  It is fast data access with a network  The network model is a very complex
model. database model, so the user must be
 The network model allows creating very familiar with the overall structure
more complex and strong queries as of the database.
compared to the database with a  Updating inside this database is a
hierarchical database model. A user quite difficult and boring task. We
can execute a variety of database need the help of the application
queries when selecting the network programs that is being used to
model. navigate the data.

Hence above explained is the Network Database Model.

4. Object Oriented Database Model:

This model defines a database as a collection of objects, or reusable software elements, with
associated features and methods. There are several kinds of object-oriented databases.
A multimedia database incorporates media, such as images, that could not be stored in a
relational database. A hypertext database allows any object to link to any other object. It’s
useful for organizing lots of disparate data, but it’s not ideal for numerical analysis. The object-
oriented database model is the best known post-relational database model, since it incorporates
tables, but isn’t limited to tables. Such models are also known as hybrid database models. Here
are some key features:

 It keeps up a direct relation between real world and database objects as if objects do not
lose their integrity and identity.

 This database model provide system generated object identifier for each object so that an
object can easily be identified and operated upon.

 This database model are extensible, which identifies new data types and the operations to
be performed on them.

 Provides encapsulation, feature which, the data representation and the methods
implementation are hidden from external entities.
  Also provides inheritance properties in which an object inherits the properties of other
objects.

Here are the some advantages and disadvantages of Object-Oriented Database Model:

Advantages Disadvantages

 Complex data sets can be saved and  Object databases are not widely
retrieved quickly and easily. adopted.
 Object IDs are assigned automatically.  In some situations, the high
 Works well with object-oriented complexity can cause performance
programming languages. problems.

Hence above explained is the Object-Oriented Database Model.

5. Entity Relationship Database Model:

This model captures the relationships between real-world entities much like the network model,
but it isn’t as directly tied to the physical structure of the database. Instead, it’s often used for
designing a database conceptually. Here, the people, places, and things about which data points
are stored are referred to as entities, each of which has certain attributes that together make up
their domain. The cardinality, or relationships between entities, are mapped as well. Here are
some key features:

6. No SQL Database Model:

When people use the term “NoSQL database”, they typically use it to refer to any non-relational
database. Some say the term “NoSQL” stands for “non SQL” while others say it stands for “not
only SQL.” Either way, most agree that NoSQL databases are databases that store data in a
format other than relational tables. A common misconception is that NoSQL databases or non-
relational databases don’t store relationship data well. NoSQL databases can store relationship
data they just store it differently than relational databases do. In fact, when compared with SQL
databases, many find modeling relationship data in NoSQL databases to be easier than in SQL
databases, because related data doesn’t have to be split between tables. NoSQL data models
allow related data to be nested within a single data structure. Here are some key features:

 Multi-Model: Where relational databases require data to be put into tables and columns
to be accessed and analyzed, the various data model capabilities of NoSQL databases
make them extremely flexible when it comes to handling data. They can ingest
structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data with equal ease, whereas relational
databases are extremely rigid, handling primarily structured data. Different data models
handle specific application requirements. Developers and architects choose a NoSQL
database to more easily handle different agile application development requirements.
Popular data models include graph, document, wide-column, and key-value. The ideal is
to support multiple data models, which allows you to use the same data in different data
model types without having to manage a completely different database.
 Easily Scalable: It’s not that relational databases can’t scale, it’s that they can’t scale
EASILY or CHEAPLY, and that’s because they’re built with a traditional master-slave
architecture, which means scaling UP via bigger and bigger hardware servers as opposed
to OUT or worse via shading. Shading means dividing a database into smaller chunks
across multiple hardware servers instead of a single large server, and this leads to
operational administration headaches. Instead, look for a NoSQL database with a master
less, peer-to-peer architecture with all nodes being the same. This allows easy scaling to
adapt to the data volume and complexity of cloud applications. This scalability also
improves performance, allowing for continuous availability and very high read / write
speeds.
 Flexible: Where relational databases require data to be put into tables and columns to be
accessed and analyzed, thematic-model capabilities of NoSQL databases make them
extremely flexible when it comes to handling data. They can easily process structured,
semi-structured, and unstructured data, while relational databases, as stated previously,
are designed to handle primarily structured data.
 Distributed: Look for a NoSQL database that is designed to distribute data at global
scale, meaning it can use multiple locations involving multiple data centers and/or cloud
regions for write and read operations. Relational databases, in contrast, use a centralized
application that is location-dependent (e.g. single location), especially for write
 operations. A key advantage of using a distributed database with a master less
architecture is that you can maintain continuous availability because data is distributed
with multiple copies where it needs to be.
 Zero Downtime: The final but certainly no less important key feature to seek in a
NoSQL database is zero downtime. This is made possible by a master less architecture,
which allows for multiple copies of data to be maintained across different nodes. If a
node goes down, no problem: another node has a copy of the data for easy, fast access.
When one considers the cost of downtime, this is a big deal.

Here are the some advantages and disadvantages of NoSQL Database Model:

Advantages Disadvantages

 Loading test data can be done with  ACID transactions can be done only
drag-and-drop tools before ER within a document at the database
modeling is complete. level. Other transactions must be done
 Modular architecture allows at the application level.
components to be exchanged.  Document stores don’t provide fine-
 Linear scaling takes place as new grained security at the element level.
processing nodes are added to the  NoSQL systems are new to many staff
cluster. members and additional training may
 Lower operational costs are obtained be required.
by autos Harding.  The document store has its own
 Integrated search functions provide proprietary nonstandard query
high-quality ranked search results language, which prohibits portability.
 There’s no need for an object-  The document store won’t work with
relational mapping layer. existing reporting and OLAP tools.
 It’s easy to store high-variability data

Hence above explained is the NoSQL Database Model.

Assess how relational database models and the process of normalization can provide
reliable and efficient data structures:

1. Explain relational database model with example showing how the relational database
management system can provide reliable and efficient data structure.

 Introduction
 Details
  Assessment of how relational database model can provide reliable and efficient data
structure.

2. Explain the process of normalization with example showing how the process of
normalization can provide reliable and efficient data structure.

 Introduction
 Details (1NF, 2NF etc.)
 Assessment of how the process of normalization can provide reliable and efficient data
structure.

3. Conclusion

Critically evaluate different database management systems available in relation to

open source and vendor-specific platforms, justifying the criteria used in the
evaluation:

1. Introduction to open-source and vendor-specific database management system

2. Examples of open-source and vendor-specific database management system

Open-Source Vendor-Specific
 MySQL  DBVisualizer
 Cubrid  Oracle
 SQLite  IBM DB2
 PostgreSQL  Amazon RDS
 MariaDB

3. Comparison between open-source and vendor-specific database management system

4. Why choose open-source and vendor specific database management system (Justification of
the criteria used in evaluation)

5. Conclusion