Running Head: CLOUD-BASED DATABASES 1

Databases in a Cloud-Based Environment

Chinelo Ibezim

Liberty University

Database Design & Development (CSIS 525-D01)

Dr. Terry House

April 5, 2019
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Abstract

Cloud computing has been prominent as a real world phenomenon due to its insignificant cost

and scalability. Cloud databases such as Azure SQL database, Rackspace and OracleDB are

becoming popular. Data intensive applications like data mining, data warehousing, and

business intelligence uses cloud-based databases. These applications focus on its scalability,

readability, and elasticity. This paper aims at reviewing the advanced features in the cloud

databases, its benefits, the various query processing techniques and also concentrates on its

architectures. It also analyzes the challenges to be met for developing cloud databases, its

user requirements and discusses the most popularly used cloud databases.
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1. Introduction to Cloud-based Databases

One of the significant questions for the data-centric organizations now-a-days is how to

organise large chunks of data and how to build a standardized database that optimizes the

resource utilization and thereby cost-effectiveness. The cloud-based database management

system could be the answer as it provides an approach for the administration of cloud data.

The cloud data are distributed over the internet and are collected to relevant servers, which

are dealt by third parties. Thus, the cloud-based data management is becoming a serious

matter which needs to be addressed on.

It is also challenging to carry on a high-performance database. Cloud-based databases tackle

these challenges by providing an Open-Stack platform that runs the database in a container-

based architecture (Mozafari, Curino and Madden, 2013). Besides offering a redundant free

platform, cloud-based database system also mends and preserves the databases. The cloud-

based database was formulated to resolve online data management with the backup of various

distributed databases. A cloud-based database is a repository that generally runs on a cloud

stack where the access is given through the Database as a Service (DaaS) platform (Curino,

Jones, Popa, 2011). The utilities provided by DaaS assists in satisfying of scalability of

the database. Database-as-a-service makes the database permeable to the user.

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2 Cloud-based Database Architecture

Traditional data-base architectures are coerced due to expanding data and real-time demands

and are incapable to meet the challenges of novel business requirements (Alam and Shakil,

2013). Introduction of new architecture to these bygone data environments makes the

database much more accessible and scalable to provide a remarkable turn. The two main

architectures used in cloud-based DBMS are shared disk and shared nothing architectures.

2.1 Shared Nothing Architecture

This architecture is composed of nodes having its own memory as well as storage space. Each

node interacts with another node through message passing across interconnected networks.

Only one resource is accessed at a time and the resource ownership will be transferred on

failure to other resources which are connected in the network. This architecture is suited for

implementations with heavy data overhaul requirements. As load of one server is not shared

with other servers, a problem of load balancing will arise for this type of architecture.

2.2 Shared Disk Architecture

The shared-disk architecture connects all nodes together, and the same storage disk space is

shared among them. It is suited in applications which possess difficulty in partitioning or

dispensing workload. Here also, the communication takes place through token passing. This

architecture provides dynamic load balancing, an added advantage, which is the crucial factor

that favours progressive transitions in usage patterns. Shared-disk keeps up data consistency,

where only a single copy of data is shared between each node. Thus both these architectures

can be utilized in the cloud regulated by the needs of the developers, organization and

customers.
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3. Comparison of Cloud-based Database

3.1 Cloud Database vs. On-premise database

Cloud-based database is put on the servers of vendors and can be obtained from a web

browser, whereas on-premise database is internally installed, on the servers/computers of

companies. In general, on-premise database systems are viewed as capital expenditure,

contrarily cloud-based systems, as an operating expenditure.

3.2 Cloud Database vs. Traditional databases

A Cloud can be interpreted as a distributed system containing numerous interconnected and

implicit or virtualized computers. These are actively provisioned as single or more united

computing resources based upon the service agreement level. Cloud has three approved

computing paradigms, Platform as a Service (PaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), and

Software as a Service (SaaS). The Cloud Database is constructed by a collection of nodes or

sites out of which each node is a database class that are coupled through a communication

network (Arora and Gupta, 2012). Each database class has an owned database, terminals, the

central processor and their individual local database management system. But, in traditional

database management system, data is stored in files which are stored and processed under the

file system and supervised by the operating system.

4. Query processing techniques of cloud databases

4.1 Column-oriented DBMS

Column-oriented DBMS stores the data by column. Here, data is compressed more efficiently

so that it allows the user to access the data much faster and thus reducing the query

processing time. These are most appropriate for OLAP systems (online analytical processing
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systems) and data warehouses. Vertica, SADAS, LucidDB (open source) and MonetDB

(open source) are some examples of column-oriented DBMS which are available in the

market.

4.2 Key-value stores

Key-value Stores stock large scale data and provide easy access to them. Here the data

models have no schema, and are scaled horizontally. The domain resembles a container in

which we can place the data items. Data items are identified by keys and a given key can

have constantly changing set of attributes attached to it. API method calls are used to create,

update, delete and retrieve the data. This type of query processing techniques is used in

Dynamo (Amazon.com), Bigtable (Google application), Cassandra (Facebook inbox search)

and Voldemort project (LinkedIn).

4.3 Map Reduce

Mapreduce is a distributed substructure that process abounding data in parallel approach.

Programmers develop various map reduce functions based upon user queries. These data files

are reserved in DFS- the distributed file system. This approach is being used in Google’s web

search service uses this method for generating data stored in Bigtable.
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5. Common Database Challenges in the Cloud

5.1 Limits on Scalability

In a cloud database system we cannot predict the variations occurring in load. They may vary

differently at different periods or frequencies daily or weekly. Due to this reason it is

essential that a cloud-based Database system must be scalable at all times (Perry, 2011).

Being scalable means that the system ought to be flexible enough to augment additional

resources whenever needed. Hence, we say that scalability is a challenging factor in the cloud

environment.

5.2 Data Consistency and Integrity

The traditional database system follows the properties of Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation,

and Durability (ACID), where as the cloud-based Database system follows BASE properties,

which expands to Basically Available Soft state, Eventually consistent. Because of data

replication at multiple locations, which are distributed across the network, a cloud-based

database will always backup eventual consistency (Ferretti, Colajanni, & Marchetti, 2012).

So maintaining the transactional data consistency is a challenging task for a cloud database
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and while moving into cloud, the developers must strictly adhere to data integrity as it

follows with consistency of data (Hogan, 2008).

5.3 Data Security and Privacy

Risk hazards are involved in storing data on an untrusted host. Tactful data must be encrypted

before uploading into the cloud. The data must also be prevented from decryption by any

application in the cloud (Morozan, 2014). In the field of information technology, particularly

in cloud computing environment, it becomes extremely serious because the data is stocked in

different places even all across the world (Krutz and Vines, 2010). Thus preserving both

security and privacy of data to various databases on the same hardware is truly a difficult

task.

5.4 Decentralized Data Management System

Decentralized database management systems are located on systems that are isolated

geographically and not linked through a data communication channel. These comprise of

independent database entities which ideally does not have any logical connections between

them. Decentralized databases in the cloud possess an extremely challenging environment

for the administrators, but proper analysis and database structure design helps in mitigating

the poor performance and build up the efficiency of the database.

6. Benefits of a Cloud-based Database

The demands for fluctuating workloads can be surmounted using a cloud database

infrastructure. Based on priority or security, the users can opt for private, public or hybrid

cloud storage. The organizations are also free to ascertain their choice with the different

service options such as Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) or

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Infrastructure as a Service (PaaS). The cloud-based database is also provided with API keys

and encryption facilities to keep the data secure (Krutz and Vines, 2010). Another

advantageous part is that the data is accessible through any device connected to the internet.

The data is provided with backup networks so that no hardware failures can cause loss of

data. Since these databases use remote servers, it acts as a cost saver to the organizations.

7. Common database cloud providers

7.1 Amazon Relational Database Service

Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS) provides an easily deployable,

resizable, and cost-efficient system which automatically administrates tedious tasks such as

provisioning of hardware, patching, database setup, and backups (Google Cloud, 2010).

7.2 Microsoft Azure SQL Database

This is a cloud-based database provided by Microsoft, which is relational, fully-managed,

having built-in intelligence and makes available to the users a compatible and broader SQL

Server Engine (Google Cloud, 2010).

7.3 Rackspace cloud

Rackspace cloud provides specific activity-managed services for public cloud platform,

delivering even-handed guidance on desirable cloud elucidations and solutions to

organizations all around.

7.4 Oracle Cloud Database

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Oracle cloud-based database accelerates the prevailing technologies and good practices

thereby delivering the database to customers using a secure and optimized Oracle cloud-

database platform.

8. Summary

In this paper, a research study has been made on the various features and advantages of the

prevailing technology, the cloud-based database system. Its basic architecture, query

processing techniques challenges to be met in the industry, and the security and privacy

issues are considered for examination.

To conclude, the cloud-based database computing platform is a totally agreeable solution that

facilitates with priceless storage and processing abilities for public as well as private

enterprises, health care sectors, government organizations etc. It has the added benefit of

minimizing the IT costs and providing more utilities for the pleading parties through making

specialized and sophisticated software and computing resources.

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