FAQs
- What is GridDB?
- GridDB is a highly scalable NoSQL database best suited for Big Data and IoT (Internet of Things). GridDB is designed to handle time-sensitive IoT data across numerous sensors while maintaining consistency and durability.
- Compared to other NoSQL databases, what are GridDB’s main advantages?
- GridDB has the unique ability to handle IoT (Internet of Things) data thanks to its Key-Container data model. The time-series container’s functionality in manipulating incoming time-based data from sensors ensure that GridDB will be the most well-equipped NoSQL Database in handling IoT data. GridDB is also blazingly fast.
- What makes GridDB so fast?
- GridDB utilizes a “Memory first, Storage second” structure. “Hot” data is kept in-memory, allowing for much faster writes/reads on the most-used data.
- What hardware and platforms does GridDB Server support?
- See the Supported platforms section for up to date information.
- What are the differences between GridDB editions?
- There are two editions: Community Edition (CE) and Standard Edition (SE). GridDB CE is the open-source version, and GridDB SE is the commercial version. You can see the differences here
- Does GridDB support SQL?
- No, but GridDB AE does support TQL, an SQL-like query language. The support range is limited to functions such as search, aggregation, etc. GridDB AE also supports SQL commands through the JDBC (Java Database Connectivity) Connector.
- Does GridDB support transactions?
- Yes, they are supported on a container-basis, meaning GridDB containers are ACID-compliant.
- What is ACID?
- GridDB being ACID compliant means that database transactions abide by each of the rules in the acronym:
Atomicity: all transactions are all or nothing
Consistency: all data changes must abide by rules set forth by administrator
Isolation: transactions are committed serially (one after the other)
Durability: ensures data is always safe by ensuring transactions stay committed.
- What is a Container?
- To make things easier to visualize, you can think of Containers as a Relational DB table, complete with columns and rows. GridDB has two differents kinds of Containers: Collection and Time-Series. Collection Containers handles more traditional data (Strings, Booleans, Arrays, etc), whereas Time-Series Containers are equipped to handle time-stamp data. Since these Containers function like tables, each Container has its own schema.
- What is a Row?
- Similar to the RDB data model, a Row a flat piece of data which abides by the schema set in place by the container. A Row can have a key, but it is not mandatory.
- If Containers are similar to Relational tables, does that mean GridDB also has issues scaling horizontally?
- GridDB is unique in that it offers strong data consistency at the container level (with ACID-compliance), and also provides a safe way to scale-out (rather than scaling-up like other relational databases). Nodes are able to be added on-the-fly without any stoppage of service/operation.
- Specifically, how does GridDB handle replication?
- GridDB employs a hybrid of peer-to-peer and master-slave cluster management. This means that the master node is determined dynamically and autonomously, resulting in a cluster that has no single point of failure (SPOF). Data is replicated throughout all of the nodes ensuring high availability and durability.
- Does GridDB work on a public cloud environment?
- Yes.
- Can I mix different nodes in a GridDB cluster?
- Yes, GridDB can scale-out using commodity hardware.
- How can I change replication factor?
- This can be edited in the cluster definition file (gs_cluster.json).
- There is something not in the FAQ that I need to ask.
- There might be useful information in the developer forum. You can post your questions by registering your user account.