The document discusses different data modeling approaches for complex domains like biology and comics. It notes that relational databases struggle with hierarchical data, while graph databases are well-suited for modeling relationships and connectivity. Document databases allow embedding related data and working with semi-structured documents. The document recommends using the database approach that best matches each domain's data structure and access patterns.

1. “Comics” Is Hard:
On Domains and Databases
Ben Sco eld – Viget Labs

2. domains

3. biology

4. Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Mammalia
Order
Carnivora
Family
Felidae
Genus
Panthera
Species
tigris
ickr: pandiyan

5. Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Carnivora
Felidae
Panthera
tigris
ickr: pandiyan

6. kingdoms
phyla
classes
orders
families
genera
species

7. Problem
The levels are imaginary

8. kingdoms
subphyla
phyla
superclasses
subclasses
classes
superorders
suborders
orders
superfamilies
subfamilies
families
subgenera
genera
subspecies
species
varieties

9. kingdoms
subphyla
phyla
superclasses
subclasses
?
classes
superorders
suborders
orders
superfamilies
subfamilies
families
subgenera
genera
subspecies
species
varieties

10. taxa
subspecies
species
varieties

11. Species
ickr: cpurrin1

12. Reproductive Isolation
ickr: superciliousness

13. Reproductive Isolation
ickr: superciliousness

15. ickr: chiotsrun

16. ickr: niznoz

17. Numerical taxonomy

18. Cladistics

19. clades
organisms

20. Problem
Cladistics is historical and
counter-intuitive

21. ickr: goellnitz

22. ickr: goellnitz
pcoin

25. The Challenge
Unclear, imprecise domain

26. comics

27. publishers
titles
issues

29. publishers
imprints
titles
issues

31. publishers
imprints
titles
volumes
issues

34. publishers
imprints
titles
volumes trades
issues reprints

41. publishers
imprints
titles
volumes trades
issues reprints
variants

45. publishers
imprints
titles names
volumes trades
issues reprints
variants

52. publishers
imprints
?
titles names
volumes trades
issues reprints
nested set?
variants

54. publishers imprints
?!?!
titles names
volumes trades
issues reprints
nested set?
variants

55. science fiction
noir horror
genres?
independent
Martial Arts
historical
superhero
Pirate

56. publishers imprints
#&*!
titles names
volumes trades
genres issues reprints
nested set?
variants

57. The Challenge
Complete insanity

58. nosql
altdb
postrelational
lesssql

59. http://thisisindexed.com/2009/02/just-because-you-can-doesnt-mean-you-should/

60. key-value
stores

61. dynomite
tokyo cabinet
project voldemort
pstore
redis

62. require "rubygems"
require "tokyocabinet"
include TokyoCabinet
bdb = BDB::new # B-Tree database; keys may have multiple values
bdb.open("casket.bdb", BDB::OWRITER | BDB::OCREAT)
# store records in the database, allowing duplicates
bdb.putdup("key1", "value1")
bdb.putdup("key1", "value2")
bdb.put("key2", "value3")
bdb.put("key3", "value4")
# retrieve all values
p bdb.getlist("key1")
# => ["value1", "value2"]
# range query, find all matching keys
p bdb.range("key1", true, "key3", true)
# => ["key1", "key2", "key3"]
http://www.igvita.com/2009/02/13/tokyo-cabinet-beyond-key-value-store/

63. Biology x
Comics x

64. Configuration ✓
Caching ✓
Translations ✓

66. document
databases

67. couchdb
jackrabbit
mongodb
rddb
riak

68. {
'name':'Ben Scofield',
'twitter':'@bscofield'
}
{
'name':'Jim Van Fleet',
'adjective':'awesomesauce'
}

69. class Question
include MongoMapper::Document
key :number, Integer, :required => true
key :text, String, :required => true
many :choices
end
class Choice
include MongoMapper::EmbeddedDocument
key :text, String, :required => true
end

71. Biology ✓
Comics x

72. {
‘kingdom’:‘Animalia’,
‘phylum’:‘Chordata’,
‘subphylum’:‘Vertebrata’,
‘class’:‘Mammalia’,
‘subclass’:‘Eutheria’,
‘order’:‘Carnivora’,
‘family’:‘Felidae’,
‘subfamily’:‘Panthernae’,
‘genus’:‘Pantera’,
‘species’:‘tigris’,
‘name’:‘Wanda’
}

73. {
‘kingdom’:‘Animalia’,
‘subkingdom’:‘Eumetazoa’,
‘phylum’:‘Chordata’,
‘subphylum’:‘Vertebrata’,
‘class’:‘Mammalia’,
‘subclass’:‘Theria’,
‘order’:‘Carnivora’,
‘suborder’: ‘Caniformia’,
‘family’:‘Canidae’,
‘subfamily’:‘Caninae’,
‘tribe’:‘Canini’,
‘genus’:‘Canis’,
‘species’:‘lupus’,
‘subspecies’:‘familiaris’,
‘name’:‘Daisy’
}

75. graph
databases

76. allegograph
hypergraphdb
neo4j
activeRDF

77. http://neotechnology.com/why-neo

78. http://markorodriguez.com/Lectures_ les/risk-symposium2009.pdf

79. ickr: 9948354@N08

80. Biology ✓
Comics ✓

81. Animalia
...
Felidae
subfamilyof
genusof Panthernae
genusof
Panthera
speciesof
tigris
member
001
age name weight
3 Wanda 300

82. Animalia
...
Felidae
subfamilyof
genusof Panthernae
genusof
Panthera
species speciesof
type
tigris
010
name
tigris member
001
age name weight
3 Wanda 300

83. Group IV
orderof
Picornavirales
familyof
Picornaviridae
genusof
Rhinovirus
speciesof
human
rhinovirus A
member
002

84. class Mammalia Group IV group
orderof orderof
Carnivora Picornavirales
familyof familyof
Felidae Picornaviridae
subfamilyof
Panthernae genusof genusof
genusof
Panthera Rhinovirus
speciesof speciesof
human
tigris
rhinovirus A
member member
001 002

85. DC
imprintof
titleof DC Universe
Green titleof
001
Lantern nameof
genreof
volumeof genreof
Volume 1 Sci Fi
Superhero
genreof
issueof genreof
002 precedes Issue #2
number coverof
#1 003

86. require 'neo4j'
Neo4j::Transaction.run do
dc = Neo4j::Node.new
dc[:name] = 'DC'
dc_universe = Neo4j::Node.new
dc_universe[:name] = 'DC Universe'
dc.relationships.outgoing(:imprints) << dc_universe
rel = dc.relationships.outgoing(:imprints).first
rel[:started] = 1980
vol1 = Neo4j::Node.new
vol1[:started] = 1941
vol1[:ended] = 1949
vol1[:name] = 'Green Lantern'
dc.relationships.outgoing(:titles) << vol1
dc_universe.relationships.outgoing(:titles) << vol1
# ...
end

87. other
alternatives

88. column-oriented
constant
in-memory
streaming
temporal

89. selection

90. None Key-Value
Many-One Document-Oriented
Many-Many Relational
Many-Many ++ Graph

91. polyglot
persistence

92. {
‘title’:‘I Love Cheese’
‘content’:‘Cheese is...’
‘posted’:’24 Sept 2009’
‘comments’:[{
‘author’:‘Joe Schmoe’
‘posted’:’24 Sept 2009’
‘content’:‘First!’
}, {...}]
}

93. Tag Tag Post
General Life 1ec8264
Work Food 1ec8264
Fitness Writing bae294a
Life
Food
Writing {
‘title’:‘I Love Cheese’
Family ‘content’:‘Cheese is...’
‘posted’:’24 Sept 2009’
‘comments’:[{
‘author’:‘Joe Schmoe’
‘posted’:’24 Sept 2009’
‘content’:‘First!’
}, {...}]
}

94. HTTP
application application

95. HTTP
application

96. application

97. application

98. Thank You
ben sco eld - @bsco eld
http://bensco eld.com
http://www.viget.com/extend
http://www.speakerrate.com/bsco eld