What criteria should you consider when choosing a database platform for your organization?

1 Data volume, structure, and type

One of the first criteria to consider is the amount, format, and nature of your data. Different database platforms have different capabilities and limitations in terms of how much data they can store, process, and query, how they organize and represent data, and how they handle different data types, such as text, numbers, images, or videos. For example, relational databases, such as MySQL or PostgreSQL, are good for structured data that can be easily modeled in tables and columns, while NoSQL databases, such as MongoDB or Cassandra, are better for unstructured or semi-structured data that can vary in size and shape. You should also consider the frequency and complexity of your data operations, such as inserts, updates, deletes, joins, or aggregations, and how they affect your database performance and availability.

2 Business goals and requirements

Another criterion to consider is your business goals and requirements. What are you trying to achieve with your data and how does it align with your organizational strategy and vision? Different database platforms have different strengths and weaknesses in terms of how they support your business objectives, such as analytics, reporting, customer service, or product development. For example, analytical databases, such as Redshift or Snowflake, are optimized for fast and complex queries on large and diverse data sets, while operational databases, such as Oracle or SQL Server, are designed for transactional and operational tasks on consistent and reliable data. You should also consider your functional and non-functional requirements, such as security, compliance, scalability, availability, or performance, and how they affect your database design and architecture.

3 Budget and resources

A third criterion to consider is your budget and resources. How much can you afford to spend on your database platform and what are the trade-offs and benefits of different options? Different database platforms have different costs and benefits in terms of licensing, hardware, software, maintenance, support, and training. For example, open-source databases, such as MySQL or MongoDB, are free to use and offer more flexibility and customization, but may require more technical expertise and resources to manage and maintain, while commercial databases, such as Oracle or SQL Server, are more expensive and restrictive, but may offer more features and services. You should also consider the deployment model of your database platform, such as on-premise, cloud, or hybrid, and how it affects your operational costs and capabilities.

4 Technical skills and preferences

A fourth criterion to consider is your technical skills and preferences. How familiar and comfortable are you with different database platforms and what are the learning curves and challenges of adopting new ones? Different database platforms have different levels of complexity and difficulty in terms of installation, configuration, administration, development, and integration. For example, relational databases, such as MySQL or PostgreSQL, use a standard query language (SQL) that is widely used and understood, while NoSQL databases, such as MongoDB or Cassandra, use different query languages and data models that may require more training and adaptation. You should also consider your personal and organizational preferences and culture, such as your values, beliefs, and norms, and how they influence your database selection and adoption.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?