Today I saw a poll on LinkedIn:

What is the best database to use in your app?

• MySQL
• PostgreSQL
• Microsoft SQL Server

With my consultant hat on, my answer is of course, “It depends!”

For many applications, none of these three is the ideal answer. And I’m not talking about SQLite.

For many applications, a relational database is simply the wrong answer. But “which flavor of SQL should I choose?” has become the default question most developers ask when designing an app.

Next time you’re designing an app, consider whether a non-relational database might make sense. Here are a few not-so-random ones to look at:

• MongoDB
• CouchDB or PouchDB
• Cassandra