Our goals for this chapter included discussing the details behind CQL. This includes its syntax and usage and evolution as a language and comparing some of its capabilities to the well-known SQL of the relational database world. In addition, I have included tips and notes regarding the application of the functionalities covered, as well as how they can be leveraged in certain situations.
One point that should be abundantly clear is that building a good data model is a key part of the foundation to any high-performing, scalable application. The main component of which is the primary key definition. Building your primary keys properly, while taking into account data distribution and appropriate query flexibility, is without a doubt the most important lesson in this chapter, and arguably in this book.
While the next chapters will include more information about performance...
