Book excerpt: Joe Celko's Complete Guide to NoSQL provides a complete overview of non-relational technologies so that you can become more nimble to meet the needs of your organization. As data continues to explode and grow more complex, SQL is becoming less useful for querying data and extracting meaning. In this new world of bigger and faster data, you will need to leverage non-relational technologies to get the most out of the information you have. Learn where, when, and why the benefits of NoSQL outweigh those of SQL with Joe Celko's Complete Guide to NoSQL. This book covers three areas that make today's new data different from the data of the past: velocity, volume and variety. When information is changing faster than you can collect and query it, it simply cannot be treated the same as static data. Celko will help you understand velocity, to equip you with the tools to drink from a fire hose. Old storage and access models do not work for big data. Celko will help you understand volume, as well as different ways to store and access data such as petabytes and exabytes. Not all data can fit into a relational model, including genetic data, semantic data, and data generated by social networks. Celko will help you understand variety, as well as the alternative storage, query, and management frameworks needed by certain kinds of data. - Gain a complete understanding of the situations in which SQL has more drawbacks than benefits so that you can better determine when to utilize NoSQL technologies for maximum benefit - Recognize the pros and cons of columnar, streaming, and graph databases - Make the transition to NoSQL with the expert guidance of best-selling SQL expert Joe Celko