Database Hearts and Arrows

In the ongoing discourse surrounding database technologies, a notable debate has emerged between Postgres and MongoDB, reflecting the broader SQL versus NoSQL conversation. This discussion was recently ignited by a post from Peter Zaitsev, founder of Percona, who highlighted the rising popularity of Postgres alongside a slight decline in MongoDB’s usage. The accompanying graph showcased a clear trend, prompting a flurry of commentary from industry professionals.

Among the insights shared, one user remarked, “MongoDB’s strategy prioritizes the developer experience, claiming to accelerate time-to-market (TTM) by 10x. Developers love it, but in practice, results often disappoint.” Another contributor noted the initial appeal of a schema-less, SQL-less environment, cautioning that it can lead to significant technical debt over time. A third voice in the conversation emphasized the distinct purposes of MongoDB and Postgres, asserting that comparing the two is somewhat misguided. Yet, there were also acknowledgments of MongoDB’s achievements, with one user stating, “I also think MongoDB deserves more credit for eventually delivering on what they marketed — a robust, scale-out cluster for OLTP.”

SQL’s tombstone

The SQL versus NoSQL debate took an intriguing turn when Lekhana Reddy, founder of Storytelling by Data, provocatively declared “SQL IS DEAD!!” in a LinkedIn post that featured a tombstone illustration. This bold statement was sparked by Uber’s unveiling of a natural language query tool, which Reddy suggested could render traditional SQL programming obsolete. However, she later clarified that SQL is not dead but rather evolving, a sentiment echoed by many in the comments section of her post. One user quipped, “my take: SQL WILL not die before us!”, while another added, “AI-assisted SQL won’t replace data professionals, it will enhance their capabilities.”

A relationship in the cloud

In a more positive light, the tech community celebrated a new partnership between SAP and Databricks, announced by SAP CEO Christian Klein. The launch of the SAP Business Data Cloud was met with enthusiasm, as reflected in a simple yet heartfelt response from an observer: “💙 ❤️”.

Quote of the day

As we navigate these discussions, it’s worth reflecting on the words of a literary figure: “Love loves to love love.” Can you guess who penned this thought? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

Tech Optimizer
Database Hearts and Arrows