The three eras of business data processing

Jay Kreps' monograph, "The Log: What every software engineer should know about real-time data's unifying abstraction," has significantly influenced the field of eventstream analytics by advocating for a centralized event firehose that aggregates, stores, and processes events in a unified log. This concept is pivotal for digital businesses aiming to transition from fragmented data systems to a cohesive data processing architecture. The evolution of business data processing is described through three eras: the Classic Era with isolated on-premise systems and batch-loaded data warehouses; the Hybrid Era characterized by a mix of on-premise, SaaS, and home-grown systems creating data silos and fragmented decision-making; and the emerging Unified Era, which centers on a unified log allowing low-latency, simultaneous data access by multiple applications, thereby streamlining operations and ensuring a single version of the truth. Snowplow Analytics embraces this unified log approach, aspiring to be the backbone of a "digital nervous system" for businesses, enhancing their capacity for real-time analytics and decision-making.