mysql - Storing JSON in database vs. having a new column for each key

Question

I am implementing the following model for storing user related data in my table - I have 2 columns - uid (primary key) and a meta column which stores other data about the user in JSON format.

 uid   | meta
--------------------------------------------------
 1     | {name:['foo'], 
       |  emailid:['[email protected]','[email protected]']}
--------------------------------------------------
 2     | {name:['sann'], 
       |  emailid:['[email protected]','[email protected]']}
--------------------------------------------------

Is this a better way (performance-wise, design-wise) than the one-column-per-property model, where the table will have many columns like uid, name, emailid.

What I like about the first model is, you can add as many fields as possible there is no limitation.

Also, I was wondering, now that I have implemented the first model. How do I perform a query on it, like, I want to fetch all the users who have name like 'foo'?

Question - Which is the better way to store user related data (keeping in mind that number of fields is not fixed) in database using - JSON or column-per-field? Also, if the first model is implemented, how to query database as described above? Should I use both the models, by storing all the data which may be searched by a query in a separate row and the other data in JSON (is a different row)?

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Update

Since there won't be too many columns on which I need to perform search, is it wise to use both the models? Key-per-column for the data I need to search and JSON for others (in the same MySQL database)?

Answer 1

Updated 4 June 2017

Given that this question/answer have gained some popularity, I figured it was worth an update.

When this question was originally posted, MySQL had no support for JSON data types and the support in PostgreSQL was in its infancy. Since 5.7, MySQL now supports a JSON data type (in a binary storage format), and PostgreSQL JSONB has matured significantly. Both products provide performant JSON types that can store arbitrary documents, including support for indexing specific keys of the JSON object.

However, I still stand by my original statement that your default preference, when using a relational database, should still be column-per-value. Relational databases are still built on the assumption of that the data within them will be fairly well normalized. The query planner has better optimization information when looking at columns than when looking at keys in a JSON document. Foreign keys can be created between columns (but not between keys in JSON documents). Importantly: if the majority of your schema is volatile enough to justify using JSON, you might want to at least consider if a relational database is the right choice.

That said, few applications are perfectly relational or document-oriented. Most applications have some mix of both. Here are some examples where I personally have found JSON useful in a relational database:

• When storing email addresses and phone numbers for a contact, where storing them as values in a JSON array is much easier to manage than multiple separate tables

• Saving arbitrary key/value user preferences (where the value can be boolean, textual, or numeric, and you don't want to have separate columns for different data types)

• Storing configuration data that has no defined schema (if you're building Zapier, or IFTTT and need to store configuration data for each integration)

I'm sure there are others as well, but these are just a few quick examples.

Original Answer

If you really want to be able to add as many fields as you want with no limitation (other than an arbitrary document size limit), consider a NoSQL solution such as MongoDB.

For relational databases: use one column per value. Putting a JSON blob in a column makes it virtually impossible to query (and painfully slow when you actually find a query that works).

Relational databases take advantage of data types when indexing, and are intended to be implemented with a normalized structure.

As a side note: this isn't to say you should never store JSON in a relational database. If you're adding true metadata, or if your JSON is describing information that does not need to be queried and is only used for display, it may be overkill to create a separate column for all of the data points.