A unified query platform for NOSQL databases using polyglot persistence

Abstract

The advancements in Web application technologies and IoT devices has produced an enormous amount of ubiquitous data. The increasing complexity and diverse data sources poses significant challenges for organizations in extracting meaningful insights. A unified query platform has the potential to address these challenges by providing a consolidated interface for querying and analysing disparate data sources in a unformed manner. Using design science research as a methodology, this study presents a systematic approach to designing, developing and evaluating a unified query prototype. The thesis begins by articulating the research problem in the current domain, describing the adverse impacts divergent data sources have when collating information. This study proceeds to highlight the key features necessary to realise an unified query solution. Using Design Science research as a lens to conduct the research project, a prototype was developed as middleware to evaluate its effectiveness and efficiency. A number of components were developed that ultimately enabled the prototype to interrogate data different types of NoSQL database management systems. The aforementioned components consisted of a query parser, translator and executor designated as explicit functional features. The solution also incorporated behavioural design patterns to facilitate the entire query process. A variety of experiments were conducted to evaluate the prototypes effectiveness and efficiency. The experiments were action by a group of automated participants, each test representing as subset of a particular goal. The culmination of these results indicated the feasibility of the proposed solution. In conclusion, while the prototype enabled the researchers to empirically analyse data, the proposed solution is a byproduct of the entire research process. Moreover, the findings of this study offers practical design and architectural insights for stakeholders seeking to enhance their understanding of unified query systems. The study recognises the challenges and opportunities in unified query systems which was expressed throughout research endeavour. This forms the basis of the recommendations and guidelines proposed by this study. Thus, contributing to the advancement of knowledge within the unified query platform systems.