Time-Series, Document, or Relational? The 5-Question Test Every New Project Needs

Use a five-question workload test to choose a database, instead of relying on benchmark claims.

The article contrasts a successful MongoDB-to-ClickHouse telemetry migration with a failed Postgres-to-MongoDB profile-data migration.

The key decision factors are write shape, read patterns, mutability, and how the data will actually be queried and updated.

Picking the wrong database can add latency, increase application complexity, and make reversals expensive.

The framework helps teams match time-series, document, or relational databases to real project needs before launch or migration.