Big Ideas in App Architecture

In the latest episode of "Big Ideas in App Architecture," we dive into the world of utility facilities and their app architecture with guest Grant Muller, Vice President of Applications and Technology Architecture at Xylem. Grant shares valuable insights on bridging end-to-end solutions while focusing on energy efficiency and data collection in utility facilities.Grant explains IoT standards in utility facilities and the importance of SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems for device automation and control. He emphasizes the need to address cyber security concerns and highlights the significance of dividing the workload through a robust architecture.The conversation then delves into data management, with a focus on understanding data lakehouse patterns and motivating the centralization of data locations. Grant also gets into his thoughts on Data Mesh and its usage in managing and scaling data effectively.Join as we discuss:IoT data on the edgeCyber security risk managementData lakehouse patterns and the expansion of data meshesBe sure to rate the podcast 5-stars on your favorite podcast platform like Apple and Spotify. You can also watch every episode on YouTube!

This week, Mattias Sio Fjellvang, CTO and Co-Founder of Doubble, joins to discuss the technical challenges he’s faced while building a "double dating" application. Mattias discusses tech stack decisions, developing with a completely distributed team, and the incredible month-to-month growth of the application.Mattias talks about what it was like for ‘a React guy’ to develop using Dart and Flutter. Taking a prototype built on MongoDB and flipping it to CockroachDB to solve the scalability, reliability, and data compliance issues challenges. Join as we discuss:The application design of a double-dating applicationCockroachDB vs MongoThe use of Github’s co-pilot developmentHow Doubble handles downtimeBe sure to rate the podcast 5-stars on your favorite podcast platform like Apple and Spotify. You can also watch every episode on YouTube!

In this episode, Adam Koch, Systems Engineering Fellow at Paycor, discusses transitioning from legacy systems to the cloud and its impact on application architecture.Adam draws on his wealth of knowledge and experience in the field to help frame the evolution of data architecture and infrastructure. He shares his perspective on the limitless possibilities that cloud scale brings, while also giving an honest accounting of the challenges that come with it.Additional topics include:Maintaining boundaries on acquired domainsEnsuring effective master data authenticationStrategies to address and prevent downtimeBuilding effective teams for effective architectureBe sure to rate and review the podcast on your favorite podcast platform like Apple and Spotify. You can also watch every episode on our YouTube channel.

“Aside from math and physics, there are no laws in software engineering.” In this episode, Joe Lynch, a technical leader with decades of experience (Google, Twilio…), discusses the fundamental principles of building software efficiently; and the human obstacles that get in our way. Joe explains the difference between "laws" and tendencies in software engineering and how understanding Conway's law can lead to better organizational structure, better peer review practices, and better software design.We also address pressure on engineers to get things right and the danger of striving for perfection, which can be the enemy of good. He stresses the importance of setting up a "problem space" to identify problems before you start “solutioning”. Join as we discuss:A satirical Grand Unified Theory of software engineeringHow to properly understand a problem before solving itThe impact of humanity in software engineeringBe weary of Kubernetes. It is not a silver bullet.

In today's episode, we're joined by Yolanda Davis, Principal Software Engineer at Cloudera, to talk about Apache NiFi and its role in streamlining data transfers.Yolanda explains the architecture of Cloudera’s Apache NiFi and the UI developers use of the tool to design and manage dataflows. She also shares how Kubernetes has changed the game in terms of efficiency and scalability (while acknowledging the occasionally immense challenge of growing K8s).We delve into the challenges of observability and monitoring in the cloud. And how Cloudera is using the insights gathered from monitoring. Yolanda also shares some unique observations about the way she sees the public cloud being leveraged for scaling efficiently for performance and cost savings.Join as we discuss:Cloudera’s Apache NiFi and how it streamlines data transfers, operates within the cloud, and deploys dataflowExploring the combination of observability and AIScaling efficiently for performance and cost efficiency

“I guarantee you no CIO will ever write a check to Cockroach Labs. You have to change the name.”Peter Mattis, Co-founder and CTO at Cockroach Labs, was given that unsolicited advice from an audience member at a conference in 2018. Five years later Cockroach Labs has cashed plenty of checks signed by CIOs from some of the biggest companies on the planet. In this conversation, Peter goes way under the hood to talk about how CockroachDB is architected, how that architecture has evolved, and how the architecture will continue to evolve to make developers’ lives easier.Join us as we discuss:The origins of GIMP and early days at GoogleHow Peter built Pebble & how it compares to RocksDBLessons learned building Postgres compatibilityWhat the future of “serverless” databases will look like

This week, we’re with one of those masters of database building, Andy Pavlo, an Associate Professor with indefinite tenure of databaseology in the computer science department at Carnegie Mellon University and the Co-Founder of OtterTune. Andy discusses how his introduction to “databaseology” changed the way databases are not only built but also studied for more efficiency at companies. From optimizing databases for efficient testing and usage to building effective databases using the right knobs and building blocks, Andy shares his insights and expertise on how to improve the performance and reliability of your applications. Join as we discuss:The emerging field of databaseology and its importance for efficient testing and usage.The design and implementation of effective databases using the right knobs and building blocks.Latest trends and techniques in database management and design that can improve application performance.Be sure to rate the podcast on your favorite podcast platform like Apple and Spotify! You can also watch every episode of Big Ideas in App Architecture by going to our YouTube page!

Database architecture can be a vital part of enhancing and maintaining customer success!In this episode of "Big Ideas in App Architecture," we explore several crucial aspects of backend engineering including stateless systems architected for resilience and how to do observability well. Our guest, Dan Goldin, Chief Architect at TripleLift, shares his expertise, drawing from his years of experience at startups and in the ad-technology industry. For those interested in customer experience, Dan discusses the power of data and how to leverage it to optimize app interactions. For those interested in application architecture, he talks about building resilience into different systems at TripleLift. Join as we discuss:The value of investing in “clean code”.How TripleLift gradually developed a strong data engineering functionThe challenge and importance of using observability to enhance customer experienceBuilding stateless systems for resilienceThe cost of outages and architecting to prevent themBe sure to rate the podcast on your favorite podcast platform like Apple and Spotify! You can also watch every episode of Big Ideas in App Architecture by going to our YouTube page!

AI is expanding in our lives like never before. How is it changing the way we approach software development for the future?In short, a ton!This week, Stephen Blum, CTO and Founder of PubNub, joins to discuss how specific tech roles will likely change as AI becomes more ingrained in the work of tech companies. Moreover, he theorizes that innovative companies won’t view AI as merely a means of shaving headcount, but will instead turn AI into a competitive edge — using real-time testing to develop applications quickly and efficiently.Join as we discuss:Tech’s role in the future of jobs and replacing humansBuilding a system to test in real-time with the marketRemote work and how work culture has evolvedBe sure to rate the podcast on your favorite podcast platform like Apple and Spotify! You can also watch every episode of Big Ideas in App Architecture by going to our YouTube page!

You are effectively scaling your software teams to their maximum efficiency. When is the right time to automate specific features to accommodate your growing team? This week we’re joined by Matt Ranney, Principal Engineer at DoorDash who emphasizes the importance of finding productivity angels in smaller teams with more automation, and how understanding that unit testing isn't the only valuable metric can lead to building more efficient infrastructure systems.Matt also discusses the pros and cons of Kubernetes and microsystems, and provides call-to-actions when Doordash experiences failures or downtimes on microservices. He stresses the importance of acknowledging that partial failure is still complete failure, and how taking steps to prevent and mitigate these failures can greatly improve overall system reliability.Join as we discuss:Finding productivity angels: Discover the importance of finding productivity angels in smaller teams with more automation.Valuable metrics beyond unit testing: Unit testing is important but don’t let it get in the way.Get tips on how to prevent downtime and mitigate failures on microservicesThe importance and power of Change Data Capture