The ultimate scaling quest: Distributed SQL databases
In today's episode, we have the pleasure of hosting Franck Pachot, Developer Advocate at YugabyteDB, to delve into the core concepts of SQL databases and their modern-day significance.
Franck points out that while SQL databases have a long history, they traditionally faced a limitation—they couldn't scale out. Operating on a single server posed challenges when the industry sought scalability, elasticity, and resilience in the era of cloud computing. Although some databases experimented with multiple servers, they often sacrificed SQL features or leaned towards the NoSQL paradigm.
The breakthrough for distributed SQL came with Google Spanner, offering the best of both worlds: the application model of NoSQL combined with full SQL features.
2. How a career in SQL looks like?
Discussing the journey into distributed SQL, Franck highlights two paths: individuals with a background in SQL databases learning about distributed systems, and those versed in distributed systems gaining insights into databases.
Franck notes a shift in SQL's popularity. Between 2000 and the present, SQL faced a dip in favor, but it is experiencing a resurgence. He attributes this revival to the increasing availability of open-source databases.
Today, aspiring professionals can explore and experiment without financial barriers, installing databases on containers or laptops and accessing abundant online resources for learning. As SQL databases evolve into distributed models, Franck emphasizes the changing landscape, highlighting the fusion of SQL's structured querying capabilities with the scalability and resilience demanded by modern computing environments.
