Abstract:

Current IT systems use different databases to store and manage data. Most systems are based on relational databases that use SQL in order to manipulate data. Non-relational systems (NoSQL) have recently gained more and more popularity. An important issue for database systems is the speed of downloading and managing data. The higher it is, the better the system is evaluated by its users.

During computer science education at technical universities, the students are taught various types of databases at lectures and laboratory classes. The obtained knowledge can be further improved in academic research projects that are included into the curricula of IT programmes. In this type of classes, the students are asked to design and implement an application or a system. These projects both enhance the process of learning and improve the undergraduate experience. Moreover, the created software is very often used to perform research, especially during master’s studies, which is an essential element of this education.

The purpose of the paper is to analyse the efficiency of using a relational and non-relational system to process data of an internet application supporting the work of managers. The analysis was performed for two relational database systems: MySQL and Oracle and two non-relational systems: MongoDB and Apache Cassandra. Execution time was measured for: data collection, conditional data collection, conditional data connection for joined tables, adding data to the database and its update.

The students who are involved in this type of academic research projects gain the experience which is very useful in their professional careers. These classes ensure that the university educates the graduates who are targeted due to the requirements of the labour market.

Keywords:

Academic research projects, relational database systems, non-relational database systems, query efficiency.