This document discusses data storage solutions and introduces MemSQL, an in-memory distributed relational database. It provides a brief history of data storage from files to centralized online services. New data types and volumes require new tools like NoSQL databases but existing relational databases can also address these needs. MemSQL is presented as an in-memory distributed SQL database that is ACID compliant, horizontally scalable, compatible with MySQL, and designed for real-time analytics. A demo shows MemSQL outperforming SQL Server for a slow query by syncing data into MemSQL from SQL Server using change data capture. The key lessons are that mistakes will happen with new tools and knowing limitations is important, and when to abandon an approach.