Engineering The Application/Database Boundary

The interaction between applications and the database is one of the most intricate and important in the systems we build. This boundary region is special and complex for a number of reasons. It's the surface that separates stateful from stateless, off-the-shelf from custom, and battle-tested atoms from fast-changing molecules. But more than that, it's not crisply defined. There's no bright line that divides these worlds. Instead, there's a zone where each region is partially enmeshed. Consider schema and indexing design, for example, which is a combination of predefined and user-defined; the query language and its interplay with the planner is another. This is a zone of complexity and richness, where lots of gnarly things sprout, but also where there's a lot of opportunity to learn, so you can design and improve applications better. Baron will share lessons learned from his career of observing how applications and databases interact. You'll leave with insights that will help you see new ways to build better.