Chapter 1. Data Modeling with DynamoDB

DynamoDB is a NoSQL database fully managed by Amazon, and it is made freely available (to a certain limit) as a web service. The meaning of fully managed is that all the patch installation, updates, data backup, replication, and all other security measures are taken care of by Amazon itself. Almost every NoSQL database has its own data model. A programmer or application designer always evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of a database by looking at its data model. This is the reason why we have taken DynamoDB data modeling for our primary discussion.

In this chapter we are going to discuss the basics of DynamoDB. The chapter is divided into four sections:

• Discussing DynamoDB data model concepts, such as tables, items, and attributes
• Continuing to discuss primary key creation and usage
• Using secondary indexes
• The different data types in DynamoDB