Bestseller in the USA - A foundational work on concepts of Data Engineering - unparalleled due to its comprehensive presentation of modern data-driven system design. It bridges the gap between theoretical treatises on distributed systems and practical engineering. Data is at the center of many tasks in modern system design. Complex issues such as scalability, consistency, reliability, efficiency, and maintainability need to be addressed. Additionally, there is an overwhelming array of tools, including relational databases, NoSQL data stores, stream and batch processing, and message brokers. What do these buzzwords mean? And what is the right choice for your application? This practical and comprehensive guide helps you navigate this challenging terrain by explaining the advantages and disadvantages of various processing technologies.