In this step, we’ll learn about a common form of data stores called key-value stores.

Key-value stores are particularly beneficial for organisations that need efficiency when accessing data. As opposed to the tabular structure in relational databases (where keys are used to identify unique records and tie to records in other tables), key-value stores have a unique key and a single value paired with it. These systems are very simple and therefore very flexible.

Azure Table Storage

Azure Table stores are key-value stores with an additional key creating a hierarchical option. The order goes {Partition Key} > {Row Key} > {Value}, thereby establishing some level of organisation and design without requiring a complete relational system. The values don’t need to be filled for all keys and can contain null values.

Azure Cosmos DB

Azure Cosmos DB is Microsoft’s proprietary globally-distributed, multi-model database service ‘for managing data at planet-scale’ launched in May 2017. It’s schema-agnostic, horizontally scalable and generally classified as a NoSQL database.

In the next step, we’ll return to JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) files, this time as a means of NoSQL storage.

Join the discussion

How do you think key-value stores promote efficiency over traditional relational databases?

Use the Discussion section below and let us know your thoughts. Try to respond to at least one other post and once you’re happy with your contribution, click the Mark as complete button to move on to the next step.