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This excellent survey of the field was written by Ian Thomas Varley as part of his Master of Science in Engineering program.
The aim of this paper is to explore the conceptual design space of non-relational databases as compared to traditional relational databases. It is clear that the design needs of the two paradigms are different, but how fundamental are the differences, and what strategies can we use to transition our conceptual designs from one to the other?
There are a few things to like about this paper. A running a example is used to show the different ways to model data depending on which type of solution you are targeting, especially covering how many-to-many relationships are modeled, data integrity, and how to support optional attributes. There's also a brief survey of some of the major systems.
The most interesting section of the report is where it tackles the problem of design for non-relational systems. The approach has two different phases: design questions and design strategies.
The questions you should ask yourself about your problem are:
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