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Case Study DBMS

The case study discusses the challenges faced by a rapidly growing e-commerce platform due to its relational database system's limitations in performance and scalability. It proposes a hybrid approach using NoSQL databases like MongoDB for managing unstructured data and Neo4j for enhancing recommendation systems, while retaining the relational database for structured data. A comparative analysis of MongoDB, Cassandra, and Redis highlights their respective strengths and weaknesses, aiding in the selection of suitable databases for e-commerce needs.

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Advyth Vaman Akalankam
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36 views4 pages

Case Study DBMS

The case study discusses the challenges faced by a rapidly growing e-commerce platform due to its relational database system's limitations in performance and scalability. It proposes a hybrid approach using NoSQL databases like MongoDB for managing unstructured data and Neo4j for enhancing recommendation systems, while retaining the relational database for structured data. A comparative analysis of MongoDB, Cassandra, and Redis highlights their respective strengths and weaknesses, aiding in the selection of suitable databases for e-commerce needs.

Uploaded by

Advyth Vaman Akalankam
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Case Study: NoSQL Databases in E-commerce

Introduction

A rapidly growing e-commerce platform is facing challenges due to exponential growth


in its customer base and transaction volume. Offering millions of products globally, the
platform supports operations like product searches, inventory management, order
tracking, and storing user preferences. Its current relational database system struggles
with slow query performance, scalability during high-traffic events, and handling diverse
data types, such as customer reviews, product images, and user activity logs.

To address these challenges, NoSQL databases like MongoDB and Neo4j can be
integrated with the existing relational database system. Each database offers distinct
advantages for different aspects of the platform, allowing a hybrid approach to optimize
performance and scalability.

MongoDB: A Document-Oriented Database

MongoDB is well-suited for managing semi-structured and unstructured data. It can


store diverse data types without requiring a rigid schema, making it ideal for handling
product catalogs, customer reviews, and images. MongoDB’s features include:

• Schema-less Design: Allows flexibility in storing data with varying attributes,


such as product details.

• Horizontal Scaling: Achieved through sharding, ensuring high performance


during traffic surges like Black Friday sales.

• Indexing Capabilities: Provides fast query performance for large datasets.

• Binary Data Handling: Efficiently stores images and multimedia.

Advantages:

1. Flexibility: Handles data without requiring predefined schemas.

2. Scalability: Can manage high transaction volumes effectively.

3. Optimized for High Read/Write Workloads: Enhances performance in dynamic


environments.

Disadvantages:

1. Weaker Consistency Guarantees: Sacrifices strong consistency in distributed


setups.

2. Limited Transactional Support: Not ideal for complex multi-document


transactions.
Neo4j: A Graph Database

Neo4j excels in managing and querying relationships in data. It can enhance


recommendation systems and analyze user behaviors. Neo4j’s features include:

• Relationship Representation: Captures complex relationships like "users who


bought this also bought that."

• Efficient Querying: Optimized for traversing interconnected data.

• Real-Time Recommendations: Provides instant insights into user preferences


and behavior patterns.

Advantages:

1. Graph-Based Analysis: Enables sophisticated recommendations.

2. Visualization Capabilities: Clearly represents relationships in the dataset.

3. Enhanced User Insights: Supports analyzing purchase histories and behavior.

Disadvantages:

1. Scalability Limits: Less effective for extremely large datasets compared to


document-oriented databases.

2. Specialized Use Cases: Primarily suited for relationship-heavy applications.

Hybrid Approach

A hybrid model combining MongoDB and Neo4j with the relational database system can
address the platform’s challenges:

• MongoDB: Manages unstructured data like product catalogs and customer


reviews.

• Neo4j: Handles recommendation systems and behavioral analysis.

• Relational Database: Retains structured data like order details and payment
information.

This approach leverages the strengths of each database to deliver a seamless and
scalable e-commerce experience.
Comparative Analysis of NoSQL Databases
Parameters for Comparison

The following NoSQL databases are compared: MongoDB, Cassandra, and Redis, based
on key parameters.

Parameter MongoDB Cassandra Redis

Schema-less; JSON- Schema-less; wide- Key-value store with


Flexibility
like documents column model simple data structures

Horizontally scalable Highly scalable; peer- Scales vertically; in-


Scalability
(sharding) to-peer memory

High availability via Strong availability, no High availability via


Availability
replicas single point of failure replication

Fault- Data redundancy Excellent; peer-to- Limited; dependent on


Tolerance through replicas peer architecture persistence setup

Querying & Limited querying Basic querying; no


Rich capabilities
Indexing options secondary indexing

Real-Time Moderate; optimized High throughput, less Extremely fast due to


Access for mixed workloads real-time in-memory operations

Distributed Strong distributed Optimized for Requires additional


Processing architecture distributed systems configuration

MongoDB

• Strengths: Excellent flexibility and scalability; handles semi-structured data


well.

• Weaknesses: Weaker consistency and limited transaction capabilities.

Cassandra

• Strengths: Highly available and fault-tolerant; optimized for large-scale


distributed systems.

• Weaknesses: Limited query capabilities and challenging setup.

Redis

• Strengths: Extremely fast real-time access; simple and efficient for caching and
session management.
• Weaknesses: Limited querying flexibility; not inherently distributed.

Conclusion

NoSQL databases provide significant advantages for modern e-commerce platforms.


MongoDB’s schema-less design and scalability address the need for handling diverse
data types and large volumes. Neo4j’s graph-oriented approach enriches
recommendation systems and user behavior analysis. Combining these with the
existing relational database system enables a robust, scalable, and user-friendly e-
commerce solution.

Comparing MongoDB, Cassandra, and Redis reveals their strengths and trade-offs.
MongoDB balances flexibility and scalability, Cassandra excels in fault-tolerance and
distributed processing, while Redis delivers unmatched real-time performance for
specific use cases. Understanding these nuances helps platforms select the most
appropriate databases for their unique requirements.

Written By:-
Advyth Vaman Akalankam
AM.SC.U4CSE23304
CSE-D

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