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Document-oriented database
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<p>A document-oriented database, or document store, is a <a href="/facts/Computer_program/e38jH9N9">computer program</a> and data storage system designed for storing, retrieving and managing document-oriented information, also known as <a href="/facts/Semi-structured_model/D6gAwaY7">semi-structured data</a>. </p><p>Document-oriented databases are one of the main categories of <a href="/facts/NoSQL/vvynRKfd">NoSQL</a> databases, and the popularity of the term "document-oriented database" has grown with the use of the term NoSQL itself. <a href="/facts/XML_database/PerYsNou">XML databases</a> are a subclass of document-oriented databases that are optimized to work with <a href="/facts/XML/clNgUfWk">XML</a> documents. <a href="/facts/Graph_databases/WJfPlV3z">Graph databases</a> are similar, but add another layer, the <i>relationship</i>, which allows them to link documents for rapid traversal. </p><p>Document-oriented databases are inherently a subclass of the <a href="/facts/Key-value_database/Yee8EIGE">key-value store</a>, another NoSQL database concept. The difference[<i>contradictory</i>] lies in the way the data is processed; in a key-value store, the data is considered to be inherently opaque to the database, whereas a document-oriented system relies on internal structure in the <i>document</i> in order to extract <a href="/facts/Metadata/qt35z79C">metadata</a> that the database engine uses for further optimization. Although the difference is often negligible due to tools in the systems, conceptually the document-store is designed to offer a richer experience with modern programming techniques. </p><p>Document databases contrast strongly with the traditional <a href="/facts/Relational_database/pEKGmJLy">relational database</a> (RDB). Relational databases generally store data in separate <i>tables</i> that are defined by the programmer, and a single object may be spread across several tables. Document databases store all information for a given object in a single instance in the database, and every stored object can be different from every other. This eliminates the need for <a href="/facts/Object-relational_mapping/sjIPEIfq">object-relational mapping</a> while loading data into the database. </p>