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Observations from ScyllaDB University LIVE, Fall 2021

From NoSQL Essentials to Advanced ScyllaDB Tips

A few weeks ago, we hosted our third ScyllaDB University LIVE event. While ScyllaDB University offers on-demand, self-paced training material, the LIVE event is, as it sounds, instructor-led and interactive. It’s a half-day of training covering everything from NoSQL fundamentals to proven strategies for optimizing distributed databases and data-intensive applications. And just like ScyllaDB University itself, ScyllaDB University LIVE is completely free.

The event had two parallel tracks:

  • one covering ScyllaDB Essentials and
  • one covering more Advanced topics.

The Essentials track attracted the largest attendance, while the Advanced track involved the highest engagement. The ScyllaDB Basics session got the most attention. This talk, by Tzach Livyatan (our VP of Product), covered Basic Data Modeling, Definitions, Basic Data Types, Primary Key Selection, Clustering Keys, ScyllaDB Drivers, Compaction Overview, and Compaction Strategies.

A breakdown of session attendance by topic 

Q & A

Here are some interesting questions that we got during the event:

Q: What are the main differences between ScyllaDB and Apache Cassandra in terms of feature and performance?

A: The basic concepts and architecture are shared by ScyllaDB and Cassandra. ScyllaDB is API compliant with Cassandra while providing better consistent performance at a fraction of the cost. We just wrote about this in detail: read Cassandra and ScyllaDB: Similarities and Differences to learn more.

Q: When would you use CQL and when would you use the Alternator DynamoDB API?

A: If starting a project from scratch, it’s recommended to go with CQL. It’s more mature and complete. If you’re migrating an existing application written for DynamoDB you should consider using ScyllaDB Alternator. You can learn more about Alternator in this course.

Q: Are the sessions from the live event recorded? Will they be available on-demand?

A: The sessions are only available live and will not be available on-demand. However, there are many similar self-paced courses and lessons available for free on ScyllaDB University.

Q: What’s in the roadmap for ScyllaDB? What are you currently working on? 

A: We’re working on many improvements, including even better performance and lots of ease of use features. We’re also working on better consistency using the RAFT protocol. More will be announced in our upcoming ScyllaDB Summit. Sign up today! Like ScyllaDB University LIVE, it’s online and free.

SIGN UP FOR SCYLLA SUMMIT 2022

Poll Data

We ran several polls throughout the event to help us tailor the event to attendees’ experience and interests. Here’s a look at attendee responses:

Over three quarters of ScyllaDB University LIVE attendees are new to ScyllaDB.

 

Nearly three quarters of ScyllaDB University LIVE attendees are interested in using ScyllaDB Open Source. The rest are roughly evenly split between using our ScyllaDB Cloud and ScyllaDB Enterprise offerings.

About half of attendees manage between 1 to 50 terabytes of data. A quarter of attendees manage less than a terabyte. A sixth of all attendees manage large data set >50 terabytes.

Join Us Next Time

Save the date for the next ScyllaDB University LIVE event:

AMERICAS Tuesday. March 22nd 9AM-1PM PT
12PM-4PM ET
1PM-5PM BRT
EMEA and APAC Wednesday, March 23rd 8:00-12:00 UTC
9AM-1PM CET
1:30PM-5:30PM IST

Meanwhile, be sure to check out ScyllaDB University for everything from help getting started to advanced strategies for power users. It’s free…just log in and start learning!

REGISTER FOR SCYLLA UNIVERSITY

About Guy Shtub

Head of Training: Guy is experienced in creating products that people love. Previously he co-founded two start-ups. Outside of the office, you can find him climbing, juggling and generally getting off the beaten path. Guy holds a B.SC. degree in Software Engineering from Ben Gurion University.