Lab 4: NoSQL and Column-oriented Databases

In Lab 4, we will explore NoSQL databases and column-oriented databases. The lab introduces the concept of NoSQL databases as an alternative to traditional relational databases, focusing on their ability to efficiently handle unstructured or semi-structured data.

Additionally, the lab covers column-oriented databases (or column stores), a type of database optimized for storing and querying columnar data. You will learn about the advantages of columnar storage for analytics workloads, including improved query performance.

Setup Instructions (Docker)

We will be using a docker environment similar to the one we used in previous labs. Download the lab folder on your local machine, and from the lab directory, run this command (where your docker-compose.yml file is located):

$ docker-compose up --build

After running the docker-compose command, you will see a URL in the terminal output. Paste the URL in the web browser, or if you are using VSCode, you can paste it after selecting jupyter kernel in VSCode to open the Jupyter notebook.

Turning In Your Lab 4

You will upload the following question notebooks on Canvas:

• lab4_NoSQL_questions.ipynb
• lab4_columnsStore_questions.ipynb