I tried out a utility on GitHub called Variety for MongoDB.  As the creator (@JamesCropcho) says of Variety:

“This lightweight tool helps you get a sense of your application’s schema, as well as any outliers to that schema. Particularly useful when you inherit a codebase with data dump and want to quickly learn how the data’s structured. Also useful for finding rare keys.”

I used this tool on my imported ‘NotAdvWorks’ database to take a look at the structure of the Person.Person collection.  I also used the MongoVue tool to verify the output from Variety, which was stored as a new database called ‘varietyResults’

As I am working on my first couple of production projects with MongoDB, I am really working to get my head around just what ‘schema-less database’ really means for the applications I design. I am also offering a one-day class on May 22, in Anaheim, CA (‘NoSQL for SQL Server Pros‘) to share what I am learning as I work with NoSQL in the real world with my ‘relational’ audience.

I recorded a short YouTube video of working with Variety – enjoy.