Comparative Analysis of Relational and Graph Databases for Social Networks

Network analysis is an important concept of the 21st-century business analytics. Software applications provide diverse capabilities to scale data and information in making constructive decisions. Business intelligence is the process through which data sets are arranged in graphs and tables to derive patterns that can help predict consumption, demand and future trends. The Neo4j is a database purpose-built to support data analysis, graph storage, and intelligent applications. The database supports direct access, data management, and graph visualization for social channels and digital marketing in social platforms. This paper is a comparative analysis that examines the operational efficiency of Neo4j and another selected database and to examine their overall performance and functionality. Of special concern for research is to propose an experiment to evaluate the performance, scope of operations, and overall functionality of the two graph databases. The objective of the comparative analysis is to determine the most appropriate database for social networks. The results of the experience will help inform business leaders and I.T managers on the best applications and databases to deploy in the management of social networking channels like Facebook and Twitter.