Introduction to Modern Databases/

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Types of Databases

Types of Databases

Learn the major database types.

We'll cover the following...

Imagine we’re building three very different applications:

  • A banking app to manage financial transactions.

  • A social media platform to connect friends.

  • An online store that recommends products based on other shoppers’ behavior.

Should all of these use the same type of data storage?

Probably not. A one-size-fits-all approach simply doesn’t work when it comes to databases. A banking system demands extreme accuracy and consistency to ensure every transaction is recorded precisely. A social network depends on complex relationships between users and their connections.

Meanwhile, an e-commerce platform requires flexibility and scalability to handle large amounts of data and personalized recommendations.

This diversity of needs is why we have different types of databases, each designed for a specific purpose. Selecting the right database is critical for achieving optimal performance, scalability, and functionality in any application.

By the end of this lesson, we will be able to:

  • Identify the key characteristics of major database types.

  • Compare and contrast relational, NoSQL, graph, object-oriented, and time-series databases.

  • Understand the common use cases for each database type.

Relational databases

Relational databases are the most traditional and widely used type.

They store data in structured tables with predefined schemas. The key idea behind relational databases is storing data in tables, which consist of rows and columns. Each table represents a specific type of entity, like Customers or Products.

Each row is a unique record (a specific customer or product), and each column represents an attribute of that entity (like CustomerName or Price).

The real power comes from the relationships defined between these tables. For example, in our OnlineStore database, the Products table has a CategoryID column that links each product to a specific category in the Categories table.

This structure ensures data is consistent and reliable, a concept known as data integrity. These ...