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FIELD REPORT · DATABASE

Database Selection Guide: SQL vs NoSQL Decision Framework

Choose the right database for your application. PostgreSQL, MongoDB, DynamoDB, and more compared.

PUBLISHED
September 18, 2025
UPDATED
May 15, 2026
READ TIME
1 MIN
AUTHOR
ONE FREQUENCY
KEY FACTS
Topic
database, sql, nosql
Published
September 18, 2025
Last updated
May 15, 2026
Read time
1 min
Word count
76

Database selection impacts performance, scalability, and development complexity.

SQL Databases

PostgreSQL: Best overall RDBMS MySQL: Web applications SQL Server: Microsoft ecosystem Oracle: Enterprise legacy

NoSQL Options

MongoDB: Document store DynamoDB: Serverless Cassandra: Time series Redis: Caching Neo4j: Graph data

Decision Framework

  • Data structure requirements
  • Consistency needs
  • Scale requirements
  • Query complexity
  • Team expertise

Hybrid Approach

Many applications benefit from polyglot persistence - using multiple databases for different needs.

SOURCES

Cited and consulted.

  1. 01Martin Fowler — NoSQL distilledmartinfowler.com
  2. 02PostgreSQL Official Documentationpostgresql.org
  3. 03MongoDB Manualmongodb.com
  4. 04Martin Fowler — Architecture catalogmartinfowler.com
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