NoSQL: CouchDB for Call Analysis Data

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CouchDB for Call Analysis Data

We obtained several benefits by moving to CouchDB: Performance – Loading call analysis data in the CouchDB database is way faster than putting the same data in a MySQL database. Our preliminary results show a speed up factor of about 100 (this does not take the loading of audio recordings into account, though). Ok, we are comparing apples and oranges. CouchDB does not update the view indexes until they are requested, while MySQL updates its indexes as rows are inserted. And only a single document is inserted in CouchDB, compared to lots of rows in more than 15 tables in SQL. On the other hand, if insertions are done at application runtime (after the completion of the call), you better do it fast, especially if the IVR handles many hundred (if not thousand) ports. Evolution – Making modifications to a complex schema is painful, especially when you have applications deployed in the field. As documents do not have to follow a rigid schema, it is much easier to adapt our code to multiple versions. Attachments - Even if audio recordings can be stored in a traditional SQL database as blobs, a custom application is still required to access them. With CouchDB, recordings are stored as attachments to the JSON document for the corresponding call. Moreover, these recordings are easily accessible by other tools since CouchDB is itself a webserver and all documents and attachments have a URL.

tags:CouchDB

via NoSQL databases