In this case study, we will explore a real-world scenario where a non-relational database (NoSQL) is used to solve specific business requirements. We will cover the following aspects:

1. Business Requirements
2. Choice of NoSQL Database
3. Schema Design
4. Data Ingestion and Querying
5. Performance and Scalability
6. Conclusion

Let's consider a social media application that needs to store and manage user-generated content, such as posts, comments, likes, and user profiles. The key requirements are:

• High Write Throughput: The system should handle a large number of concurrent writes, such as new posts, comments, and likes.
• Flexible Schema: The data model should be flexible to accommodate changes in the application without requiring a schema migration.
• Scalability: The database should scale horizontally to handle an increasing number of users and data volume.
• Low Latency: The system should provide low-latency read and write operations to ensure a smooth user experience.

Given the requirements, we choose MongoDB as the NoSQL database for the following reasons:

• Document-Oriented: MongoDB stores data in JSON-like documents, which allows for a flexible schema.
• Horizontal Scalability: MongoDB supports sharding, which enables horizontal scaling.
• High Write Throughput: MongoDB is designed to handle high write loads efficiently.
• Rich Query Language: MongoDB provides a powerful query language for complex queries.

In MongoDB, we design the schema to store user profiles, posts, comments, and likes. Below is an example of how the documents might be structured:

To handle the increasing volume of data and users, we can enable sharding in MongoDB. Sharding distributes data across multiple servers, allowing the database to scale horizontally.

Creating indexes on frequently queried fields can significantly improve query performance. For example, we can create an index on the user_id field in the posts collection.

In this case study, we explored how a non-relational database like MongoDB can be used to meet the requirements of a social media application. We covered the business requirements, choice of database, schema design, data ingestion and querying, and performance and scalability considerations.

By using MongoDB, we achieved a flexible schema, high write throughput, horizontal scalability, and low-latency operations, making it an ideal choice for the given scenario.

This case study illustrates the practical application of NoSQL databases and provides a foundation for understanding how to design and implement non-relational database solutions.