For the last couple of years, NoSQL has been on the rise as a way for businesses to better organize their data, and take care of a lot of problems involved in establishing relational databases and other things associated with the emergence of the so-called “big data” phenomenon. But many companies are discovering that NoSQL may be just as much a problem in its own right, and are starting to look for new solutions.

Many companies discovered NoSQL over the last couple of years, especially in the form of MongoDB, and as good word of mouth spread along with a robust features set, those companies felt good about instituting some kind of NoSQL system. But problems began to emerge that limited companies' effectiveness using the product, even after positive early results.

What were described as “underlying architectural issues,” as well as a need to scale data horizontally entirely too soon, led advertising startup Kiip to drop MongoDB. But Kiip, at last report, didn't give up on NoSQL with that, instead going to Riak, which was itself another NoSQL setup, and backed it up with PostgreSQL for more complex issues.

This time, reports suggest that the combination of NoSQL and PostgreSQL is doing much better for Kiip, and that will no doubt serve as a cautionary tale to many firms. NoSQL is, after all, still a comparatively young technology. While it's premature to say that experiences like those of Kiip are becoming a new normal, or that Kiip's bad experience is representative of the environment, the fact of its existence alone implies that other companies are likely to have similar problems, if they're not already having them.

But considering that Kiip, even after its bad experience with MongoDB, stuck with NoSQL as at least part of the solution, implies that there's value to be had in NoSQL. In addition, PostgreSQL is also starting to show itself as an improved performer in the database field; formerly regarded as slow but powerful, PostgreSQL's performance has improved in recent years, and even MySQL is getting some boosts thanks to the work of companies like Percona (News - Alert).

Every company's needs, and thus experiences, are different, but keeping all the options open will likely serve as the best course of action in working with databases. Whether with or without NoSQL as an option, there's room enough in the field for all.