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NoSQL RDBMS

NoSQL is a fast, portable, relational database management system without arbitrary limits, (other than memory and processor speed) that runs under, and interacts with, the UNIX1 Operating System. It uses the "Operator-Stream Paradigm" described in "Unix Review", March, 1991, page 24, entitled "A 4GL Language". There are a number of "operators" that each perform a unique function on the data. The "stream" is supplied by the UNIX Input/Output redirection mechanism. Therefore each operator processes some data and then passes it along to the next operator via the UNIX pipe function. This is very efficient as UNIX pipes are implemented in memory. NoSQL is compliant with the "Relational Model".

The key feature of NoSQL (and other similar packages mentioned in this manual), is its close integration with UNIX. Real-world problems are typically more complex than the data models provided by many DBMS. Actual applications, and Web-based ones are no exception, are complex puzzles made up of many small pieces, several of which are data-related. Unlike other fourth generation systems, NoSQL is an extension of the UNIX environment, making available the full power of UNIX during application development and usage.

NoSQL was designed with the UNIX shell language as its user interface. This level of integration removes the need to learn yet another set of commands to use and administer the database system. A database is just a file, and can be maintained like all other files that the user owns or to which he has access. Because NoSQL commands are executable programs, the UNIX shell is inherited as the primary command language of the database; no other proprietary database scripting language, to my knowledge, is as powerful and flexible as the UNIX shell. The shell-level nature of NoSQL encourages casual use of the system, and successful casual use leads to familiarity and successful formal use. This concept is much more thoroughly explained in the paper "The UNIX Shell As a Fourth Generation Language", that shows why the UNIX shell is an excellent tool for scripting database access.


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