Azure Storage Tables - Concepts
Azure Storage Tables are a NoSQL database service offered by Microsoft Azure. They provide a flexible and scalable way to store structured data, offering a good alternative to traditional relational databases for many use cases. They're particularly well-suited for storing data with hierarchical relationships.
Key Concepts
- NoSQL Database: Tables are a NoSQL database type, meaning they don't use traditional SQL tables and schemas.
- Schema-less: You don't need to define a rigid schema upfront. You can add properties to entities (rows) as needed.
- Entities: Data is organized into entities, which are analogous to rows in a relational database.
- Properties: Entities are composed of properties, which are key-value pairs.
- Containers: Entities are grouped within containers.
- Hierarchical Data: Storage Tables excel at storing data with complex relationships, allowing you to create a hierarchy of data.
- Partitioning: You can partition your data to improve performance and scalability.
- TTL (Time-To-Live): You can set a TTL for entities, automatically deleting them after a specified time.
Use Cases
Storage Tables are commonly used for:
- IoT Data: Storing telemetry data from sensors.
- Application Settings: Storing configuration data for applications.
- Session Data: Storing user session information.
- Catalog Data: Managing product catalogs.
Resources