Week 7 - MongoDB vs. MySQL Reflection

 Prompt for this week's journal entry.

  • Compare MongoDB with MySQL. 
  • What are some similarities? 
  • What are some differences? 
  • When would you choose one over the other? 


        While MySQL provided a very point-and-shoot process with its application, MongoDB has felt a little more abstract and esoteric running predominantly through commands and notepad scripts instead of a central program. Having only previously worked in IDE's, I found MySQL to be instantly familiar. Learning and troubleshooting in MySQL is not completely unlike Java--having a log that acts as a console from which to diagnose error messages is fundamentally parallel to troubleshooting in an IDE. Writing code in a notepad file and saving it as a JavaScript file is quite removed from my prior coding experience but felt quite magical to get familiar with for these MongoDB assignments. I would say the conceptual database functions are where MongoDB and MySQL are most similar. While inserting, deleting, and querying syntax is quite different among the two, they do mostly handle data in a similar way from a user's perspective. There are a few exceptions between the two as MongoDB does not auto-generate keys like MySQL and thus that must be handled by the programmer, a luxury I did not realize I would miss. Personally, I enjoy MySQL more. There is a tradeoff when considering embedded SQL statements in Java files or using MongoDB and a Model View Controller design pattern that will require more footwork with entity models and respective repositories--a true "pick your poison" scenario. MySQL's application seems to be most fitting for highly rigid and strictly organized relational databases, whereas MongoDB boasts flexibility and less strict enforcement that may serve databases containing data that relies less on relational strength.  

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