The rise and fall and rise again of the SQL databases

SQL, Relational, NoSQL, Hierarchical, Sharded….the list of database technologies gets larger everyday. How do we end up here? Are relational databases doomed? This talk looks at the long history of data management, and where it is heading.

As the amount of data we consumed grew at an incredible rate, relational databases and their SQL interface were labelled as a relic of a bygone era, destined to become extinct as the world evolved to a NoSQL future. Yet the increase in the scale of data has yet to be the meteor that wipes out the SQL “dinosaur”. SQL remains the de facto standard for accessing data, so much so that the NoSQL solutions are now providing SQL interfaces to their data, the benefits outweighing the irony of doing so. The session charts the history of databases, the SQL language, and where those new to IT might be want to focus their efforts as they embark upon their career.