It is quite common for other authors to start introducing the Cassandra data model from CQL. I use a different approach in this chapter. I try to avoid diving too deep in CQL before we have a firm understanding of how Cassandra handles its physical storage.

The syntax of CQL is designed to be very similar to that of SQL. This intent is good for someone who is used to writing SQL statements in the relational world, to migrate to Cassandra. However, because of the high degree of similarity between CQL and SQL, it is even more difficult for us to throw away the relational mindsets if CQL is used to explain how to model data in Cassandra. It might cause more confusion in the end. I prefer the approach of a microscopic view of how the data model relates to the physical storage. By doing so, you can grasp the key points more quickly and understand the inner working mechanism more clearly. CQL is covered extensively in the next chapter.