Data store

A data store is a repository for persistently storing and managing collections of data which include not just repositories like databases, but also simpler store types such as simple files, emails etc.^[1]

A database is a series of bytes that is managed by a database management system (DBMS). A file is a series of bytes that is managed by a file system. Thus, any database or file is a series of bytes that, once stored, is called a data store.

MATLAB^[2] and Cloud Storage systems like VMware,^[3] Firefox OS^[4] use datastore as a term for abstracting collections of data inside their respective applications.

Types

Data store can refer to a broad class of storage systems including:

• Paper files
• Simple files like a spreadsheet
• File systems
• Email storage systems (both server and client systems)
• Databases
  • Relational databases are the most common type of database in the 2000s. Examples include MySQL, PostgreSQL, Microsoft SQL Server, and Oracle Database.^[5]
  • Object-oriented databases, like Caché or ConceptBase. They can save objects of an object-oriented design.
  • Key-value databases, like redis.
• Distributed data stores, like Apache Cassandra, Druid (open-source data store) or Dynamo
• Directory services
• VMware uses "datastore" to refer to a file that stores a virtual machine^[6]

References

1. "Glossary D: data store". http://www.information-management.com/: Information Management. Retrieved 2011-04-04. A place where data is stored; data at rest. A generic term that includes databases and flat files.
2. "Datastore - MATLAB & Simulink". in.mathworks.com. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
3. VMware (2016-01-11). "Managed Object - Datastore". VMware. VMware. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
4. "Data Store API". Mozilla Developer Network. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
5. ≥
6. http://pubs.vmware.com/vi3/sdk/ReferenceGuide/vim.Datastore.html

See also

• Data flow diagram
• Data architecture
• Database
• Distributed data store