The Right Database for the Right Job: A Practical Framework for Database Selection

Modern applications demand purpose-built databases. This session presents a practical framework for selecting the right database type for the right job based on the critical factors you need to evaluate before making that choice. We'll explore the core database categories: relational, key-value, document, graph, and time series - covering when to use each, when NOT to, and the trade-offs involved. Using AWS's database portfolio as a concrete reference (from RDS, Aurora and Aurora DSQL to DynamoDB, DocumentDB, Neptune, and Timestream), we'll demonstrate how these principles translate into real-world decisions. Walk away with a decision-making framework you can apply immediately to both new projects and existing workload optimization.