An Evaluation of NoSQL Databases Using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP)

With the rapid growth of big data, NoSQL databases (DB) offer an opportunity to harness big data sets. The emergence of NoSQL technologies stresses the importance of performance evaluation models that aid the decision of NoSQL DB selection. The purpose of this paper is to aid the decision-maker with evaluating and selecting the most appropriate cloud NoSQL DB, with a particular focus on big data contexts. To serve this purpose, evaluation criteria for the NoSQL DB were proposed based on a critical analysis of the relevant literature. Evaluation criteria consisted of six factors: data storage and distribution, data model and design, querying, system, security, and deployment model. These factors were incorporated into the AHP to facilitate the evaluation of sampled NoSQL DBs. Results indicated that the performance of these DBs varies, and suggested that DBs are not necessarily appropriate for all use-cases.