Recently in one of the project we planned to use some NoSQL Document database. One of the reasons we though document database would be a great fit was that we could get started without setting up any DB schema and start shoving entities into the document database.
Nothing can be further from the truth. Data modeling is as essential and as fundamental an exercise for NoSQL stores as it is for RDBMS. It is just that the concepts are different as compared to RDBMS where normalization\de-normalization provide some guidance. In my pursuit to understand how to model data for a document database i came across some great reference material that i want to share here.
- MongoDB Schema Design : Great resource from MongoDB. Start with this one first.
- MongoDB Data Modeling: A quick read but explains some important concepts related to modelling. Embedding vs Linking.
- MongoDB Data Modeling and Rails: Covers an example to make things more clear.
- NoSQL Data Modelling Techniques: A great post that explains about data modelling techniques for all NoSQL type stores.
I believe this is enough content for one to have a decent understanding on the topic and get going with the real modeling.