Columnar Storage as Database Normalization: Understanding the Relational Foundation
By
ibobev
Crispy enough to crunch, soft enough to enjoy. A good bake.
Summary
The article explains that columnar storage in databases is essentially a form of normalization within the relational model, not a completely foreign concept. It demonstrates how row-oriented data can be transformed into column-oriented format through normalization techniques, showing that columnar storage maintains relational properties while optimizing for analytical queries. The author clarifies that this transformation is about reorganizing data representation rather than abandoning relational principles.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledSomething I didn't understand for a while is that the process of turning row-oriented data into column-oriented data isn't a totally bespoke, foreign concept in the realm of databases.
It's still of the relational abstraction. Or can be.
This representation has some nice properties.
It's easy to add a new row: we can just construct a row:
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