Rewind: A Solution for Safe and Efficient DBMS Schema Changes

Are you tired of the headaches and risks associated with DBMS schema changes? Do you wish there was a way to store information from earlier deployments and ensure backward compatibility? Are you struggling to scale your applications due to the differences between writing and reading patterns?

Enter Rewind, an event store application that solves these challenges and more. In this article, we will explore how Rewind, built on the architectural pattern of CQRS (Command-Query Response Segregation), revolutionizes the way we handle DBMS schema changes and ensures efficient and scalable operations.

The Power of CQRS

CQRS, short for Command-Query Response Segregation, divides an architectural system into two parts: a write side and a read side. The write side handles input validation and optimizes for fast writes, while the read side is optimized for fast reads. This segregation allows for flexibility and scalability, addressing the pain points associated with DBMS schema changes and scalability issues.

Introducing Rewind

Rewind acts as the event store, sitting between the write and read sides of a CQRS system. It performs three crucial functions:

1. Persisting all events to disk: Rewind ensures that all events are securely stored, eliminating the risk of data loss during DBMS schema changes.
2. Hub/Broker for event replication: Rewind acts as a hub or broker, replicating all events from the write side to the read side. This synchronization ensures consistency across components and brings new components into play seamlessly.
3. Fast event querying: Rewind enables fast querying of events, allowing different parts of the system to sync back and retrieve events efficiently. This feature ensures that data remains accessible and usable, even during complex DBMS schema changes.

Unique Features of Rewind

Unlike traditional event stores, Rewind offers several unique features that make it a game-changer in the market:

1. ZeroMQ Communication: Rewind communicates using ZeroMQ, a lightweight and high-performance messaging library. This choice of communication protocol ensures efficient and reliable data transfer between components.
2. Multiple Storage Backends: Rewind supports multiple storage backends, providing flexibility and choice for developers. You can choose the storage backend that best suits your application’s needs, whether it be file-based, in-memory, or a database.

A Seamless Workflow with Rewind

The workflow with Rewind is straightforward and efficient. Clients interact with Rewind through two different wire protocols:

1. Request/Response Socket: This socket is used for publishing new events and querying specific ranges of events. Clients can publish new events and retrieve events based on event IDs or chronological slices. Rewind’s advanced wire protocol ensures seamless and reliable communication between clients and the event store.
2. Streaming Socket: Clients interested in receiving all new incoming events can connect to the streaming socket. Every incoming event gets broadcasted to all sockets connected to the streaming socket, allowing clients to stay up-to-date with the latest events.

Go-To-Market Strategy

To ensure a successful launch, Rewind has implemented a robust go-to-market strategy. The application is available for installation from PyPi, making it accessible to developers worldwide. Rewind’s virtualenv compatibility and detailed installation instructions allow for easy adoption and integration into existing workflows.

User Feedback and Testing

Rewind’s development has been driven by user feedback and rigorous testing. The Rewind community actively contributes to improving the application, suggesting features, reporting bugs, and proposing enhancements. User feedback is carefully considered, resulting in constant refinements and improvements to the application.

Metrics and Future Roadmap

To evaluate the success of Rewind and guide future developments, several metrics and KPIs have been established. These metrics include user adoption, usage patterns, and performance benchmarks. Based on the insights gained from user feedback and testing, the Rewind team has defined a future roadmap that focuses on enhancing scalability, expanding storage backend options, and improving compatibility with different programming languages.

In conclusion, Rewind is transforming the way we handle DBMS schema changes and scalability challenges. Built on the foundation of CQRS, Rewind’s unique features and benefits provide a reliable and efficient solution for storing and accessing events. With a robust go-to-market strategy and a commitment to user feedback, Rewind is poised to become the go-to event store application for developers worldwide. Stay tuned for the exciting launch of Rewind and experience the power of efficient DBMS schema changes!

Author: Aisha Patel