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The Relational Model For Data Storage

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Abstract
The relational model, which uses predefined tabular relations to store data, has remained the preeminent model for data storage since it was first implemented in the early 1980s. However, due to the proliferation of the Internet, today data flows in and out of organizations quickly, and most of this data is in a semi-structured state that is designed for communication over http. It is difficult to fit this complex data into a flat two dimensional array. For that reason, it is imperative that companies have the ability to store data in a semi-structured format compatible with modern network communications as well as various platforms and devices. The market has realized this and responded with document stores that support formats, …show more content…

However, the proliferation of the Internet in the late twentieth century has changed the database landscape rapidly and drastically.
Today, interconnected networks around the globe stream data to a profusion of devices that range from powerful mainframe supercomputers, and massive grids of commodity machines to smartphones and tiny single-board computers embedded in home appliances. Most of the flow of data is done through the Internet or over other large TCP/IP networks that utilize HTTP communications. For that reason, most of this data is in a semi-structured state that is designed not for storage in a relational database, but for communication over HTTP. This data often arrives and leaves in a voluminous stream. It is therefore difficult for organizations to convert the data quickly to and from a format that is conforms to the rigid tabular structure of a relational schema.
Support for semi-structured data is integral to the collection and storage of data in the Internet age. While the relational model is sill a good long term storage solution, organizations must be able to store and query semi-structured data that is in a format compatible with HTTP communication because almost all modern devices use this medium of communication. While XML can serve as a solution to this problem, JSON, a condensed format that is based on the well-known JavaScript language, has many benefits over XML which I will

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