Summary

A large fraction of data engineering work involves moving data from one storage location to another in order to support different access and query patterns. Singlestore aims to cut down on the number of database engines that you need to run so that you can reduce the amount of copying that is required. By supporting fast, in-memory row-based queries and columnar on-disk representation, it lets your transactional and analytical workloads run in the same database. In this episode SVP of engineering Shireesh Thota describes the impact on your overall system architecture that Singlestore can have and the benefits of using a cloud-native database engine for your next application.

Announcements

Hello and welcome to the Data Engineering Podcast, the show about modern data management
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Your host is Tobias Macey and today I’m interviewing Shireesh Thota about Singlestore (formerly MemSQL), the industry’s first modern relational database for multi-cloud, hybrid and on-premises workloads

Interview

Introduction
How did you get involved in the area of data management?
Can you describe what SingleStore is and the story behind it?
The database market has gotten very crouded, with different areas of specialization and nuance being the differentiating factors. What are the core sets of workloads that SingleStore is aimed at addressing?
- What are some of the capabilities that it offers to reduce the need to incorporate multiple data stores for application and analytical architectures?
What are some of the most valuable lessons that you learned in your time at MicroSoft that are applicable to SingleStore’s product focus and direction?
Nikita Shamgunov joined the show in October of 2018 to talk about what was then MemSQL. What are the notable changes in the engine and business that have occurred in the intervening time?
- What are the macroscopic trends in data management and application development that are having the most impact on product direction?
For engineering teams that are already invested in, or considering adoption of, the "modern data stack" paradigm, where does SingleStore fit in that architecture?
- What are the services or tools that might be replaced by an installation of SingleStore?
What are the efficiencies or new capabilities that an engineering team might expect by adopting SingleStore?
What are some of the features that are underappreciated/overlooked which you would like to call attention to?
What are the most interesting, innovative, or unexpected ways that you have seen SingleStore used?
What are the most interesting, unexpected, or challenging lessons that you have learned while working on SingleStore?
When is SingleStore the wrong choice?
What do you have planned for the future of SingleStore?

Contact Info

Parting Question

From your perspective, what is the biggest gap in the tooling or technology for data management today?

Closing Announcements

Thank you for listening! Don’t forget to check out our other show, Podcast.__init__ to learn about the Python language, its community, and the innovative ways it is being used.
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The intro and outro music is from The Hug by The Freak Fandango Orchestra / CC BY-SA

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