Real-time data processing is a foundational aspect of running modern technology-oriented businesses. Customers want quicker results than ever and will defect at the slightest opportunity of having faster outcomes. Hence organizations these days are in a continuous hunt to shave off milliseconds from their responses.
Real-time processing takes over most aspects that were earlier handled using batch processing. Real-time processing requires executing business logic on an incoming stream of data. This is in stark contrast to the traditional way of storing the data in a database and then executing analytical queries. Such applications can not afford the delay involved in loading the data first to a traditional database and then executing the queries. This sets the stage for streaming databases. Streaming databases are data stores that can receive high-velocity data and process them on the go without a traditional database in the mix. They are not drop-in replacements for the traditional database but are good at handling high-speed data. This article will cover the four key design principles and guarantees of streaming databases.