Understand the differences between relational and object-oriented databases

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Understanding the differences between relational and object-oriented databases is important to choosing the best option. Each alternative has its pros and cons, and one may be a better fit for your business.

Work in medium and large companies is increasingly intertwined with digital technology. The main reason for this is the way organizations handle information on a daily basis.

Digital Marketing strategies represent a good example of this , as they are business owner database increasingly driven by statistics and data correlation rather than individual observation.

Therefore, different technologies and techniques are adopted in order to facilitate the capture, storage and retrieval of this information. The main example of this is databases , which can come in different formats depending on the size of the company and its methodologies.

Being different from each other, each option also has its own characteristics that must be taken into account before implementation.

A good starting point is to understand the differences between relational and object-oriented databases, two types that are very common in large companies and projects.

Read on to learn more about the topic, covering the following topics:

What are databases?
How does a relational database work?
What is an object-oriented database?
How do their characteristics differ?
Which one is better for you?
What are databases?
Before we talk about the difference between relational and object-oriented databases , it is important to establish a better definition of what a database is.

Simply put, it is a system of storing information, which has some correlation with each other. This correlation can be a direct association, classification, categorization, or other type of logic.

The idea is to facilitate the organization of this information , as well as its daily applicability.

Databases are used in all kinds of procedures in companies, especially in registration and customer service . In this way, the service can be better adapted to your audience, as well as being more agile.

How does a relational database work?
Once you understand the basics, it will be easier to learn about the types of databases.

Relational databases are based on the relationship between information and different factors . In practice, you can think of it as a table, where each column represents a type of information associated with a row. Each of these rows and columns is called a key.

The first column usually represents a primary key, which will serve as the basis for identifying the row. Each primary key must be unique, avoiding mixing up information. This means, for example, that two customers cannot register with the same name, but they can register in the same city.

What is an object-oriented database?
Alternatively, an object-oriented database is organized as different objects, which contain grouped files and information, as well as procedures for reading and processing them.

Unlike the relational model, it does not follow a rigid pre-established “logic” , creating only blocks of information, each with an associated Object Identifier.

If the first example was seen in table form, this one is presented as a series of boxes with individual labels. There is no direct relationship between the location and its content, it is necessary to locate the object/box being searched for in order to find the information contained in it.

How do their characteristics differ?
Much of the difference between relational and object-oriented databases is technical, not always visible to the end user. However, from a technological and especially management perspective, it is important to recognize how each format handles data and how it fits into your context .

Some of the main points where these types of databases differ are:

Storage structure
This is the fundamental difference between the two. In a relational database, each individual piece of information is stored as a separate file, independent of the others, and there is no support for persistent storage of objects with a complex structure.

The focus is on more direct data .

Object-oriented databases use identifiers to label each object, along with indexing techniques to locate pages on disk. As a result, the system can support more complexly structured objects.

Information retrieval method
For your data to be truly useful, you also need an effective recovery method. Without this, it will not be practical to apply it to day-to-day decision making.

An object-oriented database, as we have already mentioned, uses object identifiers, which are like labels.

When you perform a search for one of these tags, the system brings up the set of files and information it contains. And, within that object, there may be other types of hierarchies and internal relationships.

The relational model, in turn, makes use of two relational keys. The primary, as already mentioned, is the base, usually represented in the first column of the table, which identifies each row. Then a foreign key is used, which is related to the primary. Together they serve as a coordinate to locate the information sought .

There may also be secondary or tertiary keys, which act as search filters. In this way, it is possible to use other keys and separate those that have specific information in a given area or those that have an empty area.


Data complexity
Another difference between relational and object-oriented databases is the volume and complexity of information that each imposes. Although the volume itself is only limited by the hardware , there are still some characteristics to consider.

An object-oriented database, which has fewer structural restrictions, can hold much more information and in greater variety. This results in a more flexible data system that copes with multiple file formats, for example.

A relational database, on the other hand, contains a lower level of complexity, resulting in a relatively smaller volume of information.

Restrictions
Different systems may also impose different restrictions on their structure, as well as on how this data is handled. In addition, you should evaluate the restrictions when assigning permissions and ensuring the integrity of the information .

Object-oriented databases have a wide variety of permissions and restrictions depending on the system, so it is impossible to generalize. On the other hand, relational databases have keys, referential integrity, and entity integrity enforced as part of their .

Data manipulation language
Computers and people transmit information in completely different ways. Humans use words and language, while computers use binary code. Thus, programming language is a middle ground between the two, which is also used for data manipulation.

In object-oriented databases, manipulation is built directly into the programming language used, for example C#. Therefore, at least a basic knowledge of the programming language is required to manipulate it.

A relational database, on the other hand, includes its own language for manipulating its data, such as SQL, QBE or QUEL. This somewhat lowers the barrier to using this system more efficiently.

Variety of data
Finally, there is the issue of information variety. Depending on the content of the database, it may be necessary to include files in multiple formats and with different types of information at the same time.

As we have already mentioned, this is a major difference between relational and object-oriented databases . The former is capable of handling only one type of information at a time, while the latter can handle multiple types of data simultaneously.

This is something that also influences the volume and complexity of the information that each system can contain.

Which one is better for you?
After understanding the difference between relational and object-oriented databases, the next step is to analyze each one and evaluate which one best suits your company. Not an easy decision, considering that there are a large number of factors that can affect it.

To help you make the best decision, below you will see some criteria that you can base yourself on and how they favor one or the other.

Level of investment
One of the first things to consider is the level of initial and ongoing investment needed to keep a database running.

Regardless of the expected return, you must have the time and resources available initially to get these activities started. Otherwise, you will not be able to get much benefit from the investment .

In terms of infrastructure, the cost varies more depending on the system and size of your company than on the method used. Hardware and software specifications are not always consistent, so you will have to make adjustments and change your schedule according to the type of implementation you want to do.


Data transmission consistency
In some cases, a company's priority is to ensure the reliability of the information in its database . This is especially true when long-term data analysis and retrieval is required. A longitudinal study, which can take several years, is much less reliable when your system cannot keep all the information consistent over time.

One of the strongest points of a relational database is the greater guarantee of control over the transmission of information. And because it has a stricter organizational scheme, it is also easier to recognize and categorize all the data collected .

An object-oriented database, on the other hand, does not have such a rigid structure. While this increases its flexibility, it is also a disadvantage when it comes to consistency. Identifiers need to be closely monitored to ensure that information is easily retrievable.