What is MongoDB

Where it helps a business

• The data structure changes often or is not fully known in advance: different questionnaires, product types with different fields.
• Data arrives from external systems as documents, and it is convenient to store it as is.

How we use it

We pick MongoDB when the data structure changes so often that reworking tables each time costs more. Our cases have not had such a task so far: orders, payments, subscriptions, tickets and bookkeeping fit tables well, so they use PostgreSQL, MariaDB or SQLite. Even products with different volumes, colours and sizes in the online store and the showcase did fine with a relational database.

Common problems

• Flexibility without rules. If nobody checks the structure, records of different shapes soon pile up and reports on them break.
• Money and transactions. For payments and strict bookkeeping, a relational database with transactions is more familiar and more reliable.

When you do not need it

If your data is orders, customers, payments and statuses, a relational database is enough and easier to maintain.