Using non-relational and unstructured datastores

In general, non-relational data falls under the category of semi-structured or unstructured data. This means that they don't follow any strict tabular structure of data models (as is the case for relational databases), but, in the case of semi-structured data, they do contain elements that enforce a hierarchy of records and fields within the data. The most notable example is JSON, short for JavaScript Object Notation, which uses attribute-values pairs to describe objects and in which values can potentially be another JSON block, thus allowing for a nested data structure that enables data models to represent complex relationships between entities. The way objects (or entities) are described in JSON is akin to how objects are described in object-oriented programming languages. In addition, the support for lists of objects simplifies data models by avoiding complex translations from lists to a corresponding object in a relational data...