The Stability of Information Systems is… Dangerous?
Sorry to sound like an "old guy" but it used to be that when systems were deployed, much testing ensued and systems were essentially assumed questionable (at best) until proven accurate. Systems would be checked and double-checked, underlying engines would be load tested, beaten up to make sure they were doing what was needed.
Now, I tihnk sometimes when "new" technologies hit the scenes, it’s almost a "look, a shiny new thing over there!" … and away we go. I see this with a number of things, from the core database engines available (all of the different flavors that are out there now and the different capabilities for processing) and tools (a free tool comes out, we install and start using it…).
I’m not saying these tools and technologies aren’t worth investigating, I’m just urging deep caution. By that I mean to make sure you understand the differences between systems, solutions and approaches. If they support schema-less, unstructured data, great! But what does that mean for your applications? What does it mean for your data? What are the real implications of it? Is the new tool installing new things on your server? Great! But what does that mean for performance, access, system requirements and more?
It’s not possible to simply list all of the things that are impacted. It comes down to the fact that I ‘ve seen so many systems come and go "it’s just like XYZ, except it doesn’t include this or that feature" — but who needs that? I mean, what could possibly go wrong in not supporting transaction? Not having encryption? Not having support for seemingly "normal" features?
Please take a step back. Make sure you understand what will, or will not, be there, and make sure you know what that can mean for your applications and use of the software or platform. Many times, it’s a very difficult step to take. Getting information on things that are NOT included can be a challenge. Understanding what the missing items can mean for your environment though can be critical.
Don’t assume because it’s a called a database, or an admin tool, or a XYZ tool or platform that it addresses all of the requirements of those items. Ask questions. A lot of them.