Seven Databases in Seven Weeks now in Beta
From the webpage:
Redis, Neo4J, Couch, Mongo, HBase, Riak, and Postgres: with each database, you’ll tackle a real-world data problem that highlights the concepts and features that make it shine. You’ll explore the five data models employed by these databases: relational, key/value, columnar, document, and graph. See which kinds of problems are best suited to each, and when to use them.
You’ll learn how MongoDB and CouchDB, both JavaScript powered, document oriented datastores, are strikingly different. Learn about the Dynamo heritage at the heart of Riak and Cassandra. Understand MapReduce and how to use it to solve Big Data problems.
Build clusters of servers using scalable services like Amazon’s Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2). Discover the CAP theorem and its implications for your distributed data. Understand the tradeoffs between consistency and availability, and when you can use them to your advantage. Use multiple databases in concert to create a platform that’s more than the sum of its parts, or find one that meets all your needs at once.
Seven Databases in Seven Weeks will give you a broad understanding of the databases, their strengths and weaknesses, and how to choose the ones that fit your needs.
Now in beta, in non-DRM PDF, epub, and mobi from pragprog.com/book/rwdata.
If you know the Seven Languages in Seven Weeks by Bruce Tate, no further recommendation is necessary for the approach.
I haven’t read the book, yet, but will be getting the electronic beta tonight. More to follow.