00 - DB Intro

DATABASES

In order to get deeper into routes and the server, we'll need to start working with a database. In this module, we'll discuss two types of databases, examples, and some common terms associated with them.

Database types

There are two types of databases that we'll discuss here:

1. Relational Database:

A relational database is structured to recognize relations among stored items of information.

Rows and Columns

A relational database stores data in a table-like display using rows and columns. Think about it like an Excel spreadsheet:

ID	Players
1	Durant
2	Barkley
3	Miller

Primary Key

Every table has something called a "primary key". Usually this "primary key" is the ID column. Consider a Breakfast of Champions table:

ID	Product
1	Kale
2	Broccoli
3	Cigarettes

Each row will have a unique ID that is auto-generated incrementally when it is added to Postgres. More on that later.

SQL

In addition, relational databases use SQL (Structured Query Language) to manage the information. SQL is most often pronounced "Sequel", but you may also hear pronounced "S - Q - ELL". SQL is a language of its own, using commands to create, delete, change, or display information from the database. Relational databases are often called "SQL databases" for this reason. We will teach you about SQL in a future lesson.

2. Non-Relational Databases

A "non-relational database", or "No-SQL" database, is usually structured like a JSON object. Rather than having tables, everything is set up like an object. Different items can have a different number of properties or even different properties altogether. This can be useful when dealing with a large or diverse set of data. Additionally, no SQL statements are used, which helps prevent many common types of attacks against databases. Some examples of these are Firebase from Google and MongoDB.

Example: Let's look at our person object in this case. We would set up the data like this:

{   
    "person": {
        "1": {
            "firstName": "Aaron",
            "lastName": "Ofengender",
            "height": "70in",
            "eyeColor": "brown",
            "glasses": true
        },
        "2": {
            "firstName": "James",
            "lastName": "Smith",
            "height": "65in",
            "eyeColor": "blue",
            "glasses": false
        }
    }
}

So Which are We Using?

We will be using PostgreSQL, a traditional relational database.