December 2019 Summaries

The new 2.0 Python Client for InfluxDB has been benchmarked, showcasing its ability to write millions of points in seconds, outperforming HTTP POST by approximately 3 orders of magnitude. The script accompanying the benchmark demonstrates how to use the client, highlighting key configurations such as batch size and flush interval. The experiment was conducted on a local machine with Python 3.7, utilizing multiprocessing capabilities to achieve high performance. Monitoring system and database performance metrics is essential for identifying bottlenecks and facilitating tuning. The results highlight the potential of the new InfluxDB Python Client for efficient time series data ingestion.

The article highlights that for 2020, a multicloud strategy is expected to prove "worthless" for most tech customers, according to Paul Dix, CTO of InfluxData. Many users who adopt this approach are forced into it due to acquisition or customer demand, and they would prefer to stick with one cloud platform if given the choice. This prediction was described as "refreshingly blunt" by author Paul Gillin, suggesting that a single cloud provider is likely to be the preferred option for most tech customers in 2020.

The Chronograf 1.7.16 release includes several fixes for issues with the Flux schema explorer, axis labeling, and custom dashboard time ranges. The update also improves matching of Kapacitor TICKscripts when creating batch tasks. This maintenance release is now available for download by community members, providing improved stability and functionality to Chronograf users.

The article features predictions from 20 experts in the tech industry regarding the cloud computing market for 2020 and beyond. According to Paul Dix, InfluxData CTO, many enterprise customers will realize that pursuing a multi-cloud strategy is not effective due to prolonged outages among major cloud providers being practically non-existent, making it more expensive for end-users to build systems in multiple clouds than to choose one cloud and then possibly move to another if the terms or functionality get bad.

In Telegraf 1.13.0, new plugins were released for network, security, cloud, and systems monitoring, including SNMP Trap Input Plugin, Ethtool Input Plugin, Synproxy Input Plugin, Suricata Input Plugin, Microsoft Azure Storage Queue Input Plugin, Systemd Units Input Plugin, Clone Processor, and Merge Aggregator. These plugins improve Telegraf's capabilities in real-time system performance issues detection, security threat mitigation, cloud storage monitoring, and systems management. The release was made possible by contributions from over 30 community members who contributed to writing plugins, fixing bugs, reviewing code, and more.

The tutorial by Anais Dotis-Georgiou provides a comprehensive guide to using the InfluxDB Python Client Library with InfluxDB v2.0, detailing its enhancements over previous versions, including improved speed, ease of use, and support for multiprocessing. It explains the installation process and the setup of necessary authentication parameters, such as bucket names, tokens, and organization identifiers. The guide covers various methods for writing data to the database, offering four write options: Line Protocol String, Line Protocol Bytes, Data Point Structure, and Dictionary Style, along with specifying synchronous, asynchronous, and batching writes. It also explores querying data using Flux, illustrating how to construct and execute queries with either table or stream structures. The tutorial provides practical examples involving data related to water levels of Coyote Creek and includes a complete script for writing and querying points in InfluxDB using Python, aiming to help users get started with time series data analysis effectively.

The technology industry is expecting significant changes in 2020, with experts predicting that enterprises will finally realize the complexity of pursuing a multi-cloud strategy. According to Paul Dix, founder and CTO of InfluxData, this approach requires building systems that can switch between different public clouds to mitigate outages and vendor lock-in, but offers little benefit. Meanwhile, technology vendors are expected to continue developing solutions that work across all major public clouds to meet the diverse needs of customers choosing cloud providers based on specific requirements.

The multi-cloud strategy is a complex and evolving concept that has both benefits and drawbacks. Public cloud providers have made significant strides in reducing outages, making it more feasible for companies to hedge against failures by using multiple clouds. However, this approach also introduces new challenges such as increased complexity, security risks, and vendor lock-in concerns. Experts argue that the primary goal of hedging against failures is no longer meaningful due to the rarity of prolonged outages among major cloud providers, suggesting a shift towards more flexible and adaptable strategies.

A new release of InfluxDB 2.0 Alpha is available now, which includes enhancements such as support for Stacked Line Graphs, improved rendering queries with fixed date ranges, and updates to the Packager API and Flux library. This alpha build is meant for giving feedback on functionality, user experience, and APIs, not for testing performance or production usage.

InfluxData is an open-source software project that captures and analyzes massive amounts of time-based data, providing a platform for developers to focus on implementing solutions while handling the heavy lifting of collecting, storing, and analyzing data, now including support for running serverless code. InfluxDB offers a powerful language called Flux, which enables users to work with data where it resides, both within InfluxDB and other data sources such as MySQL, MariaDB, and Postgres. A concrete example using Flux can help unlock its power for specific use cases, and InfluxData provides resources, including training and community forums, to support developers in exploring and utilizing Flux.

A new version of Telegraf, a popular open-source monitoring tool, is now available with several key features and improvements. The release includes official packages built with Go 1.13.3, updated input plugins such as Microsoft Azure Storage Queue Input Plugin, Ethtool Input Plugin, and SNMP Trap Input Plugin, and the addition of new processors like Clone Processor Plugin and aggregators like Merge Aggregator Plugin. These updates enhance Telegraf's extensibility and functionality, allowing users to gather more data from various sources and process it in different ways. The binaries for the latest release can be found on the InfluxData website.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is expected to continue its rapid evolution in 2020, with a focus on edge computing and time series data analysis. According to tech industry experts, companies will need to develop specific strategies for collecting, analyzing, and utilizing the vast amounts of data generated by IoT devices, such as smart cars and machines. InfluxData CEO Evan Kaplan predicts that many enterprises will recognize the importance of handling time series data effectively in order to unlock its full business potential. With this trend, businesses are likely to invest in edge computing solutions and develop new software monitoring strategies to manage the enormous logs of events generated by IoT devices.

The software industry is expected to undergo significant shifts in 2020, with a focus on time-stamped data becoming increasingly important, according to industry experts. This trend is driven by the need for enterprises to glean the full value of their business potential from their data. InfluxData CEO Evan Kaplan emphasizes the importance of having a specific strategy for time series data, stating that many enterprises will realize they need one in order to unlock their business potential. As a result, companies are expected to invest more in time-stamped data management and analysis tools, such as InfluxDB, which offers a powerful time series database as a service.

The cloud is expected to continue its growth in 2020, with enterprise tech customers potentially losing faith in pursuing a multi-cloud strategy due to added complexity and costs. Paul Dix, CTO of InfluxData, predicts that by 2020, enterprise tech customers will realize the limitations of multi-cloud and instead opt for a single cloud provider. On the other hand, Evan Kaplan, CEO of InfluxData, believes that open-source firms will increasingly adopt cloud-based applications as a winning monetization strategy. Additionally, Paul Dix also mentions that pursuing a multi-cloud strategy is comparable to trying to "build systems that can switch between different public clouds" which adds complexity and cost, making it less beneficial in the long run.

Telegraf configurations can be automatically updated by editing config files in GitHub, utilizing a Continuous Deployment mechanism that leverages Node-RED as a toolkit component. The setup requires Telegraf, root access to machines, and Node-RED, which provides dynamic creation of HTTP endpoints for the configuration update process. Each instance of Telegraf may require different configurations, prompting the use of unique URLs and modifications in the Node-RED flow to accommodate this requirement. To refresh configs periodically, a reasonable interval is set at 10 minutes, while hourly refreshes are also possible depending on user preference. The system ensures that sensitive configuration information remains secure by modifying retrieved config data with personal information such as API tokens. The deployment mechanism utilizes UI elements and model-based processes to manage configurations without requiring any code changes, making it suitable for various use cases involving time series data management.

In 2020, senior tech industry executives predicted that a massive expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT) and growing trends in software instrumentation would put a focus on time series data, with many enterprises recognizing the need for a specific strategy to unlock business potential. InfluxData CEO Evan Kaplan was quoted as saying this, highlighting the importance of time series data in 2020. This trend is also reflected in other news articles, such as ZDNet's coverage of InfluxData becoming the embedded IoT database for PTC and adding Azure support, and Computing's article on cutting fleet car costs with telemetry. Additionally, there are insights into how developers feel during the COVID-19 crisis, but these seem to be tangential to the main AI predictions discussed in the Forbes article.

In 2020, CIOs and CTOs predicted that developers would play a larger role in deciding which technologies enterprises adopt, with the CIO no longer being the main driver of new tech purchases due to the overwhelming variety of options available. This shift is attributed to developers constantly testing out different technologies on the front lines, making them more influential in technology adoption decisions.

Flux is a powerful query language that allows developers to access data from various sources, including MySQL, MariaDB, and Postgres databases. It provides an extensible way to read data from these databases using SQL-like syntax. By utilizing Flux, developers can easily merge data from different sources into a single table, enabling them to analyze and gain insights from their IoT sensor deployments more effectively. The use of Flux enables companies to leverage their existing investment in traditional RDBMS systems while still taking advantage of InfluxDB's time-series database capabilities.

InfluxData is a time series database company that has attracted Barbara Nelson, who joins the engineering team as Head of Applications, bringing her experience from the Wi-Fi space and eCommerce. Nelson reflects on how she found InfluxData to be "just right" - not too big or small - and appreciates its fast growth and emphasis on supporting new team members. She looks forward to contributing to the company's success and finding a good balance between the skills of new and experienced engineers. Nelson's experience at InfluxData is marked by a warm welcome, which has shortened her "time to awesome" - the time it takes for a new customer to get an excellent experience with the product.

AWS Marketplace Billing is now available for InfluxDB, allowing companies to consolidate their AWS expenditures onto a single bill, simplifying administration, easy tracking, and streamlined purchasing. This integration provides benefits such as easier expense reporting, improved spend reports, and no need to onboard InfluxData as a new vendor. InfluxDB offers various integrations with AWS services like CloudWatch, ECS, Fargate, EKS, Kinesis, RDS, synthetic monitoring, and IoT data collection. The platform is designed for simplicity, completeness, and no lock-in, making it an attractive option for companies looking to manage their time series data on AWS.

InfluxDB has recently added support for aggregating data by months or years in Flux, a query language used for time series data analysis. This feature was merged and deployed after over a year of development, allowing users to easily analyze their data across different time intervals. With this new feature, users can use special intervals such as "1mo" for monthly aggregation and "1y" for yearly aggregation, which will account for leap years. The addition of this feature aims to help users better understand their data and expand the functionality of Flux to further enable data analysis.