Cloud computing is stretching the relational database management system (RDBMS) model to the breaking point. Geir Magnusson, a cloud computing expert, discusses various options developers have for how to design, develop, deploy and manage cloud-scale applications.Although a relational database management system is what most
developers are used to working with, you're not likely to use one in
the cloud, a cloud computing expert said as he listed the strengths and
weaknesses of various cloud computing options.
Speaking at the Web 2.0 Expo here, Geir Magnusson, vice president of
engineering and co-founder of 10gen, said "an RDBMS is what you need,
but not in the cloud." However, object/relational mapping [O/R mapping]
is one way of getting around the impedance mismatch between
object-oriented languages and data stored in a relational system. "O/R
mapping blends the power of an RDBMS with the programming simplicity of
an ODBMS [object database management system]," Magnusson said, noting
that there is support for O/R mapping in Java, Python, Ruby, .NET and
Groovy. "O/R mapping is everywhere."
Magnusson delivered a talk entitled: "The Sequel to SQL: Why You Won't Find Your RDBMS in the Clouds."
For his part, Magnusson defined "the cloud" as "un-localized or
anonymous computing services and/or resources." He listed several types
of cloud computing options. SAAS (software as a service) is one option,
signified by Salesforce.com. PAAS (platform as a service) is another
option, signified by 10gen and Google AppEngine. The TAAS (tools as a
service) option is represented by Amazon's SimpleDB. And the HAAS
(hardware as a service) option is represented by Amazon's Elastic
Compute Cloud (EC2), Magnusson said.
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