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Google Megastore
Google Megastore is a highly scalable, distributed database system developed by Google to manage structured data for its interactive web services. Introduced in 2011, it was designed to bridge the gap between traditional RDBMS (Relational Database Management Systems) and NoSQL databases, offering the benefits of both worlds: the strong consistency and transaction support of RDBMS and the scalability and availability of NoSQL solutions. Megastore plays a crucial role in supporting Google's various applications, including personal user data and critical operational data for cloud services.
Architecture and Features
The architecture of Google Megastore combines the scalability of NoSQL systems with the transactional guarantees typically associated with RDBMS. It uses a partitioning scheme to distribute data across multiple data centers, ensuring high availability and disaster recovery. Each partition, or “entity group,” can be accessed and manipulated with ACID (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability) transactions, a key feature that distinguishes Megastore from other NoSQL databases. Furthermore, it provides a SQL-like language for database operations, making it accessible for developers familiar with traditional database systems.
Impact and Usage
Since its introduction, Google Megastore has had a significant impact on the development of cloud-based services and applications, demonstrating the feasibility of combining consistency with scalability in distributed systems. It laid the groundwork for the next generation of Google's database technologies, such as Google Spanner, and has influenced the design of globally distributed databases in the industry. Megastore's success underscores the importance of flexible, reliable data management solutions in supporting the scalability and performance needs of modern web services and applications.
References: - Introduction of Google Megastore in 2011: https://ai.google/research/pubs/pub36971