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The Data Engineering Blog
100+ essays since 2015 on the open-source data ecosystem — Python, ETL, orchestration, data architecture, data modeling, and many more.
read latest →Second Brain
1,000+ interlinked notes on data engineering, PKM, deep life, writing, Neovim, and digital gardening — crafted, curated, connected, compounded.
enter brain →Data Engineering Vault
The biggest part of the brain, a connected glossary: DuckDB, Iceberg, lakehouse, dbt, Dagster, semantic layers, and hundreds more data engineering concepts.
open vault →The Book
Patterns of Data Engineering — timeless practices from convergent evolution, written online as I go, free to read the first chapters.
open book →Latest from the Blog
all articles →- Why We Need Yet Another Semantic Layer
- A Year of Omarchy Linux, a Month of Quattro
- Obsidian Vault to Enterprise Company Brain
- From Definition to Execution with xorq
- Context, Semantics, and Ontology
- Show Your Workflow #1: Benn Stancil
- Writing really is an Emotional Rollercoaster
- Figma for Agents with Max Beauchemin
- The Act and the Outcome of Creation
- The Grammar of Data
- Where AI Agents Belong in Data Engineering
- The Process of Smart Note-Taking
- Operationalizing Data Orchestration
- Vibe Coding Is Dangerous, Agentic Engineering Isn't
- Beyond the Semantic Layer
- Interview with Chris Riccomini
- The Dagster Almanack
Popular in the Second Brain
all notes →- Data Engineering Concepts
- Travel Locally, Where You Are
- Open-Source Data Engineering Projects
- Data Engineering Whitepapers
- The Vim Language & Motions
- Data Engineering Toolkit
- On Writing.
Surprising Notes
- Rubiks Cube: How to solve it
- Future of Blogging
- Pathless Path
- Managing My Business with Obsidian
- Writing is Thinking
- Hell Yeah or No
- Plain Text Files
- The Ordinary Life
- Home Made Ramen
- Computer Desk Setup
- Keep AI Out of Your Obsidian
Recently updated entries live at the bottom of the Second Brain as Recent Notes.
Patterns of Data Engineering
Timeless Practices from Convergent Evolution
I'm writing a book that explores the evolution of data engineering through practical, time-tested patterns that remain relevant despite changing technologies.
- Evolving Content: Updated regularly with new insights
- Convergent Evolution: How old ideas are reborn in new technologies
- Historical Context: Understanding how patterns emerged
Simon Späti
Data Engineer, Technical Author & Educator
I'm a proud dad, family person, and technical writer with over 20 years of experience in data engineering. My articles have been featured in top publications, and I've been recognized as a leading voice in my field. To learn more about my journey, accomplishments, and projects, visit my about page or connect with me on social media.
What else you find here
- Show Your Workflowinterviews on how people write and come up with ideas
- Memoriesphotos and moments since 2004, in Flickr and Instagram style
- Visual Changelogevery design change to this site, visually documented
- Website Timeline22 years of this site in Wayback Machine captures
- My Crafthow I write data engineering content, including my principles
- Bookswhat I've read since 2018, with notes and recommendations
- Talks & Podcastsmy interviews, presentations, or recorded videos
- Searchfull-text search across blog and brain (book via backlinks)