November 2017 Summaries

I'll be returning to Southern California in December 2017 to teach developers about building amazing web applications using Node.js and Hapi.js framework. I organize developer Meetups on technologies such as Golang, Node.js, and Couchbase in cities like Los Angeles, Irvine, and San Diego. My approach is hands-on, focusing on live application development rather than slides, and encourages attendees to join these events to gain practical knowledge. For more information, I recommend checking out my previous blog article on the topic or visiting the Couchbase Developer Portal.

Clinton Van Blommestein, a senior software developer from Durban, South Africa, has joined the Couchbase Champion team. With over 16 years at Derivco, he primarily engages in backend service and database development using C# and MS SQL. In his leisure time, Clinton enjoys relaxing and experimenting with new technologies. Couchbase was chosen by his team due to its strong consistency in document storage and the functionality of N1QL, which enhances its utility beyond a mere document store. Couchbase plays a crucial role in storing player customizations, a core business function for Derivco. Clinton appreciates N1QL for enabling SQL queries and suggests improvements like a tool for creating indexes for complex queries, better cluster management for node failures, and more operational information in the UI. Although he reads extensively, he frequently revisits Paulo Coelho's "The Alchemist."

ASP.NET Core is the latest development platform for Microsoft developers, and a video tutorial is available to help users create an HTTP REST API using Couchbase Server with ASP.NET Core. The video demonstrates the use of several tools, including Visual Studio 2017, Couchbase Server 5.0 Community or Enterprise Edition, Couchbase .NET SDK, ASP.NET Core 2.0, and Swagger from Swashbuckle.AspNetCore, to build a simple CRUD application. It briefly discusses Scan Consistency and provides additional resources for more in-depth information, along with an invitation for viewers to ask questions via comments or on Twitter.

Couchbase Server can be installed in various environments, including home-grown servers and hosted services like AWS and Microsoft Azure. AWS, in particular, is a popular choice due to its ease of deployment with features like AMIs and CloudFormation, ranking it among the top 10 most deployed services on Amazon. To quickly deploy Couchbase Server on AWS, users need an AWS account and can find Couchbase in the Amazon Marketplace. After selecting the appropriate EC2 instance size based on memory, CPU, or disk requirements, users can initiate the deployment with a single click, which takes a few minutes. Following deployment, users navigate to the public DNS, access the administrative dashboard, and complete a brief configuration wizard to finalize the setup, making Couchbase ready for development and use in a short time.

The text discusses the importance and potential of machine learning in business, highlighting the skepticism some industries still hold toward it. It introduces linear regression as a simple entry point into machine learning, using a practical example of predicting house prices to illustrate its application. By leveraging existing historical data, companies can use linear regression to determine house prices based on various features such as square footage, location, and number of bedrooms. The text provides a step-by-step guide on setting up the necessary tools, such as Couchbase Server, Spark, and Scala, to implement linear regression. It details the process of preparing the data, including converting categorical variables into dummy variables, and emphasizes the ease of using Spark and the Couchbase Connector to handle data efficiently. The trained model is evaluated using metrics like Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) and demonstrates an average deviation, indicating the model's predictive accuracy. The final output shows how the model can predict house prices, demonstrating the practicality and effectiveness of machine learning with minimal code.

About a month ago, the author wrote about developing RESTful APIs for web applications using Node.js and the Hapi.js framework, with a focus on integrating NoSQL databases like Couchbase Server. Hapi.js is highlighted as a user-friendly framework for creating web APIs efficiently. To enhance the tutorial, the author created a video demonstrating the integration of Couchbase Server into a Node.js application, showcasing the creation of API endpoints with data validation for communication with the NoSQL database. For further details on using Couchbase with Node.js, the author recommends checking the Couchbase Developer Portal.

This post discusses how to use Couchbase Mobile to share data between an iOS App and its corresponding App Extension across devices. It extends the previous discussion on using Couchbase Lite as a standalone, embedded data store for sharing data between an iOS App and its App Extension on the same device. The Sync Gateway is used to enable data synchronization across multiple devices. The sample task list app demonstrates how tasks are stored in a local Couchbase Lite database and synced with the remote Sync Gateway, allowing changes to be made available to apps/app extensions on other devices. The architecture involves setting up a Shared Container for both the App Extension and App processes to access the Couchbase Lite database. Code walkthroughs are provided for the DatabaseManager and TaskPresenter classes, which handle Couchbase Lite database management functions and UI interactions, respectively.

At the Couchbase Connect Silicon Valley 2017 conference, a workshop highlighted the demand from .NET developers for beginner-friendly content, leading to a video tutorial that demonstrates creating an HTTP-based REST API using Couchbase Server with ASP.NET. This video employs tools like Visual Studio 2017, Couchbase Server 5.0, Couchbase .NET SDK, and Swagger, and it provides a basic introduction to building a CRUD application, with a promise of future content covering ASP.NET Core. The video also briefly touches on Scan Consistency, directing viewers to additional resources for in-depth understanding. Questions about Couchbase's pricing reveal that the Community Edition is free and open-source, while the Enterprise Edition requires a commercial license for production use. A viewer named Martinsse encountered a CouchbaseQueryException due to a potential network issue, suggesting the need for verifying open ports using sdk-doctor or consulting the forums for further assistance.

Couchbase is participating in the AWS re:Invent event, aiming to showcase its collaboration with Amazon to enhance user experiences on Amazon Web Services (AWS). Attendees are invited to visit Couchbase at booth #736 at The Venetian from November 28-30, where they can see demonstrations and discuss how Couchbase can support development planning using AWS. The company also offers the opportunity for personalized meetings to further explore partnership potentials during the event.

The Thanksgiving season provides a moment for reflection and gratitude, with significant achievements for Couchbase highlighted, such as CEO Matt Cain joining TechNet, a bipartisan network of innovation economy leaders, and Couchbase's recognition as one of North America's fastest-growing companies on the Deloitte Fast 500TM list. This growth is attributed to partnerships with major industry names and a 1,000% growth since 2013. The company hosted Couchbase Connect SV, featuring numerous customer presentations and the launch of new versions of its data platform, drawing media attention for its impact on industries worldwide. Throughout 2017, Couchbase received multiple industry accolades, including recognition from Datanami, Constellation Research, and Forrester, among others, celebrating its advancements in customer engagement and data solutions. The company's success is attributed to the collaborative efforts of its team, partners, and customers, whose support is acknowledged with genuine appreciation.

The newly launched Couchbase Community Directory aims to foster engagement and community building among its members by offering opportunities to connect with Couchbase Experts, Champions, and engineers. Participants can benefit from receiving the latest product updates, invitations to exclusive events like Couchbase Connect and Couchbase Day, and chances to be involved in product beta programs. They can also take on roles such as Meetup organizer, mentor, or speaker. Additionally, members can create a personal profile on the directory to showcase their involvement preferences. Signing up is streamlined through a Single Sign-On system, making it easy for those with an existing forum login to join and participate actively in the community.

Database indexing, particularly in systems like Couchbase, is a critical technique for optimizing query performance and ensuring efficient data retrieval. Asynchronous indexing, such as Global Secondary Indexes (GSI), allows indexes to be managed without disrupting ongoing operations, enhancing system isolation and scalability. Best practices include running index services on dedicated nodes to improve performance and understanding the differences between Memory-Optimized Indexes (MOI) and Standard GSI to select the appropriate index type based on use-case requirements. It's advised to use index replicas for load balancing and redundancy, and to leverage different types of indexes, such as covered, array, and partial indexes, to tailor database performance to specific query needs. Avoiding primary indexes in production, using EXPLAIN plans to validate index usage, and choosing the right consistency options are key strategies for maintaining performance and data integrity. Monitoring index catch-ups and employing deferred builds can further optimize indexing processes, while the USE KEYS directive provides an alternative to indexing by directly querying documents using keys.

The release of Couchbase Lite 2.0 introduces significant updates, particularly the new Couchbase Lite Query Interface, which is based on N1QL, a SQL extension for JSON data. This interface provides a more streamlined and powerful approach compared to earlier versions, eliminating the need for creating views and map functions. Users can now create indexes and construct queries using a simplified Query Builder interface, which supports a range of operations such as fetching documents, pagination, and filtering through expressions. The interface supports various features, including complex filtering through logical expressions, pattern matching, string manipulation, and parameterization, allowing for efficient data querying across iOS, Android, and Windows platforms. The post provides examples, primarily using Swift for iOS, to illustrate these capabilities and offers guidance on transitioning from older Couchbase Mobile versions. Additionally, it invites users to explore related posts on advanced query capabilities like Full Text Search, array collections, and JOIN queries for a comprehensive understanding of the new functionalities.

You're welcome to ask me more questions.

With the release of Couchbase Mobile 1.5 and Couchbase Server 5.0, mobile, web, and desktop apps can seamlessly access documents in the same Couchbase Server bucket, eliminating the need for separate Sync Gateways for each application type. Prior to this update, developers had to opt for either Bucket Shadowing or routing documents through the Sync Gateway using the REST interface. Now, with Unified Bucket Access enabled, developers can easily replicate changes made to the server via the Couchbase SDK to mobile clients and vice versa, all while utilizing the same Couchbase Server bucket. The new configuration options in the Sync Gateway Config file enable shared bucket access, allowing for automatic import of documents added via the SDK and association with relevant sync metadata. Accessing sync metadata can be done through the Sync Gateway's _raw Admin REST API or by querying XAttr values.

Couchbase Server 5.0 introduces a range of tooling improvements aimed at enhancing user experience and efficiency in data management and query handling. Key updates include a Visual Query Plan for better query execution understanding, enhanced query monitoring tools allowing for active and completed query tracking, and the ability to cancel in-progress queries. The updated Couchbase Web Console offers improved navigation and usability, while new command line tools, cbimport and cbexport, facilitate flexible data import and export options, supporting various data formats and providing robust key templating systems. These enhancements collectively aim to streamline tasks for developers and administrators, making data handling more intuitive and efficient.

The Couchbase Server 5.0 release now includes advanced profiling and monitoring capabilities, particularly for N1QL queries, which enable developers to better understand the performance of their applications. The Query Workbench provides a visually appealing interface for running N1QL queries, allowing users to quickly identify complex operations that consume significant resources. By analyzing the query plan, developers can gain insights into the efficiency of their queries and optimize them accordingly. This release also includes improved index management, which enables developers to create and manage indexes more efficiently. The new features are made available for download, and the author invites feedback from users who have tried out the developer preview versions earlier this year.

The Couchbase Console has undergone changes in its user interface with the release of Couchbase Server 5.0, which is now available for download. This new UI offers improved organization and design, including the removal of certain navigation headings and the introduction of new security features such as role-based access control. The changes were made based on feedback received from early developer builds, which allowed users to test and provide input before the final release. The updated UI also includes changes in button placement and layout, with some features now located at the top right of each screen. Additionally, the classic UI is no longer available for selection, and the user interface feedback feature has been discontinued.

Google's search behavior provides insights into pagination features used in enterprise applications, which aim to retrieve and display subsets of result sets based on pagination specifications. Google's first page results include information such as the number of pages matched, execution time, and advertisements. The article explores database pagination using Couchbase, focusing on counting total results, fetching the first page, creating links to next and other pages, and fetching subsequent pages. It discusses optimizing queries by exploiting database characteristics and optimizations provided by the database management system. Key features include index collation, offset pushdown, and other optimizations in Couchbase 5.0. The article concludes that even with optimized N1QL query processing and index scans, further optimization is possible for use cases mainly "fetch next".