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Lesson 4: Comparing MongoDB vs SQL Concepts

MongoDB 101: Getting Started The MongoDB Basics: Databases, Collections & Documents Lesson 4: Comparing MongoDB vs SQL Concepts

Many of the components that go into the MongoDB data structure have their counterparts in relational database management systems based on the Structured Query Language (SQL).

MongoDB vs SQL terms and concepts
(Source)

The following table describes the MongoDB data objects and shows how they map to SQL data objects.

If you have a background in relational databases, you can use this MongoDB vs SQL data object comparison as a quick reference to better understand the MongoDB data structure as you work through the lesson.

MongoDB objectDescriptionSQL object
databaseA container for holding document collections. A MongoDB instance can support multiple databases. Each database is associated with its own set of files. MongoDB creates these files when you add the first collection. The database does not physically exist until you add that collection.database
collectionA grouping of documents in a common namespace. Unlike an SQL table, documents within the same collection can have different structures, resulting in more flexibility than you get with an SQL database.table
documentBasic unit of data in a MongoDB database. MongoDB leverages the Extended JSON format to store and work with documents. In the background, MongoDB uses BSON (binary plus JSON) to represent the documents. BSON is a binary-encoded format that extends the JSON model to provide additional data types and other capabilities.row (or record)
fieldA name-value pair in which the value conforms to a BSON data type. MongoDB automatically assigns data types to the field values when you add a document to a collection. You can override this behavior by using a constructor in the document definition to specify a data type.column
data typeA data attribute that enforces the type of data that can be used in a field. Each field is assigned a data type.data type
primary keyA required value that uniquely identifies a document within a collection. The primary key is always implemented as the _id field.

Terms you might not know:

namespace: name for a collection or index in MongoDB. The namespace is a combination of the database name and the name of the collection or index (source)

name-value pair: a common way of giving data meaning, whereby one half of the pair holds the data and the other half of the pair holds an attribute that describes the data. One common example might be an attribute, or name of “First Name” and the data, or value of “Thomas” (source)

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    Introduction to MongoDB and Studio 3T
    1 Quiz
    Test your skills: Introduction to MongoDB and Studio 3T
    Introduction to MongoDB Atlas
    1 Topic
    Lesson 2, Exercise: Setting up MongoDB Atlas
    Connecting to MongoDB
    1 Topic | 1 Quiz
    Lesson 3, Exercise: Connecting to MongoDB via Studio 3T
    Test your skills: Connecting to MongoDB
    The MongoDB Basics: Databases, Collections & Documents
    7 Topics | 2 Quizzes
    Lesson 4: Understanding MongoDB Documents: Fields & Data Types
    Test your skills: Understanding MongoDB Documents
    Lesson 4: Comparing MongoDB vs SQL Concepts
    Lesson 4, Exercise 1: Creating a collection from a .json file
    Test your skills: Creating a Collection
    Lesson 4, Exercise 2: Reviewing the collection in different views
    Lesson 4, Exercise 3: Using Visual Query Builder to query data
    Lesson 4, Exercise 4: Updating data directly within the collection
    Post-Basics Course Feedback
    Using SQL in MongoDB Aggregation
    3 Topics | 1 Quiz
    Lesson 5, Exercise 1: Running a SQL aggregate query in MongoDB
    Test your skills: Using SQL in MongoDB Aggregation
    Lesson 5, Exercise 2: Exporting a SQL query to the Aggregation Editor
    Lesson 5, Exercise 3: Editing a query in the Aggregation Editor
    Importing and Exporting MongoDB Data
    3 Topics | 1 Quiz
    Lesson 6, Exercise 1: Importing document data from a .csv file
    Lesson 6, Exercise 2: Exporting document data to a .json file
    Lesson 6, Exercise 3: Exporting document data to a new collection
    Test your skills: Importing and Exporting MongoDB Data
    Running MongoDB Queries on the mongo Shell
    4 Topics | 1 Quiz
    Lesson 7: Introducing IntelliShell
    Lesson 7, Exercise 1: Using IntelliShell to load and run a script file
    Lesson 7, Exercise 2: Using IntelliShell’s auto-completion features to write queries
    Lesson 7, Exercise 3: Running queries in IntelliShell and viewing the results
    Test your skills: Running MongoDB Queries on the mongo Shell
    Course Extras
    Return to MongoDB 101: Getting Started
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