Opinion

Dumb Things We Saw Today | Big Data vs. SAAS

Raj De Datta drops a really big buzz word in this TechCrunch article.

In a nutshell he’s calling out a supposed battle between “Software as a Service” (SAAS) vs “Big Data” (what he is calling BDAs or Big Data Apps).  Maybe just trying to stir up controversy where there is none.  So here is the truth.

SAAS: The distinguishing feature of a SAAS application is that it is accessed via a web services API.  This is a mechanism of delivering software functionality.  That’s it, nothing more.

noSQL: “Big Data Apps” or “BDAs,” as he calls them, already have a name: noSQL.  This is a database structure and means of quickly processing/scaling large data. (see Big Table in Plain Language).  That’s it.

So to suggest that noSQL will kill off SAAS means essentially that somehow noSQL will do away with the need for software delivered over the web?  This makes no sense; they aren’t mutually exclusive.  It’s like saying that digital cameras will end the need for special lenses.  Instead, the future will be good noSQl using SAAS to empower business analytics like my 1 year old using his finger, using a tablet to learn the alphabet…and it will be awesome.

Raj, did you mean to say that noSQL will kill relational databases? This is at least debate-able material.