SQL or NoSQL is the wrong first question
Choose a database from the work it must do: queries, business rules, concurrent writes, geography, recovery, and the team's operating budget.
Read guide →Databases / Guides
Database guides.
Complete worked examples for decisions, query design, and recovery. Each guide includes practical steps, primary sources, and a downloadable copy.
Choose the task in front of you.
Start with the decision guide if you are evaluating a database. Use the indexing experiment when a query needs attention. Follow the restore drill when you need evidence that recovery works.
Indexes: the performance feature with a write bill
Build a PostgreSQL index for a customer’s latest orders, inspect the before-and-after plans, and account for its ongoing costs.
Read guide →A backup is not real until you restore it
Turn a successful backup job into evidence that your business can recover: choose a recovery point, restore in isolation, test the application, and measure the whole process.
Read guide →Take it into your next design review
Useful tools. No signup required.
Capture your requirements and make recovery a repeatable exercise.
Published by Databases.how · Sources reviewed September 7, 2026 · Read the editorial method →