Introduction to Data Engineering 1.

UnitI

INTRODUCTION TO
DATA ENGINEERING

Introduction to Data Engineering: Definition, Data

Engineering Life Cycle, Evolution of Data Engineer,
Data Engineering Versus Data Science, Data
Engineering Skills and Activities, Data Maturity and
the Data Engineer, Data Engineers inside an
Organization.

1.0 DATA ENGINEERING

Data Engineering is the development, implementation, and maintenance
of systems and processes that take in raw data and produce high-quality,
consistent information that supports downstream use cases, such as analysis
and machine learning. Data Engineering is the intersection of security, data
management, DataOps, Data Architecture, Orchestration, and Software
Engineering. A data engineer manages the data engineering lifecycle,
beginning with getting data from source systems and ending with serving
data for use cases, such as analysis or machine learning
Data Engineering focuses on designing, building, and maintaining the
systems and infrastructure that enable the collection, storage, processing,
and analysis of data. It is a critical component of the broader data science
field, providing the foundation for data-driven insights and decision-
making. Data engineers ensure that data is accessible, reliable, and of high
quality, enabling data scientists and analysts to effectively utilize it for their
tasks.

1.1 KEY CONCEPTS OF DATA ENGINEERING

1. Data Pipelines:
 Data pipelines are the core of data engineering, representing
the flow of data from its source to its destination.
 They involve processes like Extract, Transform, Load (ETL),
1.1
1.2 Data Engineering
where data is extracted from various sources, transformed into
a usable format, and loaded into a data warehouse or other
storage system.
 Data Engineers Design, build, and maintain these pipelines to
ensure efficient and reliable data flow.
2. Data Storage:
 Data Engineers work with different types of data storage
systems, including databases (relational and NoSQL), data
warehouses, and data lakes.
 They optimize data storage for performance, scalability, and
cost-effectiveness.
3. Data Processing:
 Data Processing involves transforming raw data into a usable
format for analysis and reporting.
 This can involve various techniques like data cleaning, data
transformation, and data aggregation.
 Data Engineers use tools and technologies like Apache Spark,
Hadoop, and cloud-based data processing services.
4. Data Quality:
 Ensuring data quality is a crucial aspect of data engineering.
 Data Engineers implement measures to ensure data accuracy,
completeness, and consistency.
 This involves data validation, data profiling, and implementing
data quality rules.
5. Data Governance:
 Data Governance involves establishing policies and procedures
for managing data throughout its lifecycle.
 This includes data security, data access control, and data compliance.
 Data Engineers play a role in implementing and enforcing data
governance policies.
Introduction to Data Engineering 1.3
6. Collaboration:
 Data Engineers work closely with data scientists, analysts, and
other stakeholders to understand their data needs and provide
them with the necessary data infrastructure and tools.
 They collaborate to ensure that data is accessible, reliable, and of
high quality, enabling effective data-driven decision-making.
7. Essential Skills:
 Programming Languages: Python, Java, Scala
 Databases: SQL, NoSQL
 Cloud Computing: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud
 Data Warehousing: Snowflake, Redshift
 Big Data Technologies: Hadoop, Spark
 Da ta Model ing : U nd ersta nd in g d ata structures a nd
relationships
 ETL Tools: Informatica, Talend

1.2 DATA ENGINEERING LIFECYCLE

The data engineering lifecycle encompasses the entire process of
transforming raw data into a useful end product. It involves several stages,
each with specific roles and responsibilities. This lifecycle ensures that data
is handled efficiently and effectively, from its initial generation to its final
consumption.
Data Engineering Lifecycle

Analytics
Irrigation Transformation Serving

Generation
Machine
Storage Learning

Reverse
ETL
Fig. 1.1
1.4 Data Engineering
The Data Engineering Lifecycle describes the stages involved in
transforming raw data into usable information for analysis and decision-
making. It encompasses data generation, storage, ingestion, transformation,
and serving, with undercurrents like governance and orchestration running
throughout.

Key Stages:
The stages of the data engineering lifecycle are as follows:

1. Data Generation and Source Systems:

Generation: Collecting data from various source systems.

 Identifying and understanding various data sources, such as

databases, IoT devices, and web services.
 Assessing the characteristics of these sources, including data
format, frequency, and schema.
2. Data Storage:
Storage: Safely storing data for future processing and analysis

 Choosing appropriate storage solutions (e.g., data lakes,

warehouses) based on data access patterns and requirements.
 Implementing robust storage and management strategies to
ensure data integrity and availability.
3. Data Ingestion:
 Bringing data from source systems into a centralized platform
for processing.
 Designing and implementing efficient data pipelines to handle
batch or stream processing.
4. Data Transformation:
 Converting raw data into a usable format for analysis and
consumption.
 Applying data quality checks, cleaning, and enrichment
processes.
Introduction to Data Engineering 1.5
 This stage often involves ETL (extract, transform, load) or ELT
(extract, load, transform) processes.
5. Data Serving:
 Making transformed data available to end-users (e.g., data
scientists, analysts).
 Delivering data through APIs, BI tools, or other interfaces for
various purposes like analytics or machine learning.

We categorize the 3 main outputs for serving data as:

1. Analytics — includes published reports or dashboards, ad-hoc

analyses on data. Can be further split into BI, operational or
embedded analytics.

2. Machine Learning — includes serving data used for purpose

of prediction or decision making.

3. Reverse ETL — involves feeding the result of transformed

data back into a source or other system for further use.

Undercurrents that Influence the Lifecycle:

Security: Ensures data is accessible only to authorized users, following
encryption and least privilege principles.

Data Management: Provides frameworks for data governance, lineage, and

ethical alignment across organizational policies.

Data Ops: Applies Agile and DevOps principles to improve collaboration,

data quality, and pipeline efficiency.

Data Architecture: Structuring how data flows across the system.

Orchestration: Managing pipeline execution using tools like Apache

Airflow.

Software Engineering: Ensuring robust and efficient implementation of

data solutions.
1.6 Data Engineering
1.3 EVOLUTION OF DATA ENGINEERING

1. Traditional Data Management (Pre-2000s)

 Focus: Managing structured data in relational databases.
 Technologies:
o Relational Databases: Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL
o Data Warehousing: Informatica, Teradata
o ETL Tools: SSIS, IBM DataStage
 Characteristics:
o On-premise infrastructure
o Batch ETL pipelines
o BI for reporting and dashboards
 Role of Data Engineer: Not formally recognized; handled by
DBAs or data warehouse developers.
2. Big Data Revolution (2000–2010)
 Focus: Handling massive, unstructured data sets.
 Drivers:
o Explosion of web data, logs, and user-generated content
 Technologies:
o Hadoop Ecosystem: HDFS, MapReduce, Hive, Pig
o NoSQL Databases: MongoDB, Cassandra, HBase
 Characteristics:
o Distributed computing
o Focus on scalability and fault tolerance
o Batch-oriented data processing
 Role of Data Engineer: Emerged to manage Hadoop and write
scalable data pipelines.
Introduction to Data Engineering 1.7
3. Emergence of Modern Data Engineering (2010–2015)
 Focus: Real-time data processing and analytics at scale.
 Technologies:
o Apache Spark: Fast, in-memory distributed processing
o Apache Kafka: Stream processing and data ingestion
o Cloud Storage: Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage
 Shifts:
o Transition from ETL to ELT due to scalable storage
o Data lakes emerged to store raw, semi-structured data
o Job orchestration tools like Apache Airflow introduced
 New Skills:
o Python/Scala for pipelines
o Data modeling and partitioning for scalability
4. Cloud-Native & Real-Time Era (2015–2020)
 Focus: Real-time analytics, automation, and cloud data
infrastructure.
 Technologies:
o Cloud Data Warehouses: BigQuery, Snowflake, Redshift
o Orchestration: Airflow, Luigi
o Streaming: Apache Flink, Spark Structured Streaming
 Best Practices:
o Adoption of DataOps and CI/CD for data pipelines
o Introduction of dbt (Data Build Tool) for analytics engineering
 Data Engineer’s Role:
o Build and maintain scalable data platforms
o Enable machine learning and analytics teams
1.8 Data Engineering
5. The Modern Data Stack (2020–2025)
 Focus: Automation, observability, modular tools.
 Technologies:
o Ingestion: Fivetran, Air byte
o Transformation: dbt
o Orchestration: Airflow, Prefect
o Monitoring: Monte Carlo, Great Expectations
o Metadata: Data Hub, Amundsen
 Concepts:
o Lake house architecture (e.g., Data bricks, Delta Lake)
o Data contracts, data lineage, and data quality
 Emerging Roles:
o Analytics Engineer
o Data Reliability Engineer
6. Future of Data Engineering (2025 and Beyond)
 Focus: AI-powered, decentralized, privacy-conscious systems.
 Trends:
o AI/LLM-a ssiste d de ve lo pment of p ip el i nes an d
transformations
o Data Mesh architecture: federated ownership, decentralized
teams
o Feature Stores and MLOps integration for machine
learning
o Real-time and streaming-first design thinking
o Data-as-a-Product mindset
Introduction to Data Engineering 1.9
 Technologies:
o Server less pipelines
o Auto ML and automated feature engineering
o Differential privacy, synthetic data generation.
Summary of the Evolution

Era Focus Technologies Role of Data Engineer

Structured data,
Pre-2000 RDBMS, ETL tools DBAs, DW devs
BI

Big data
2000–2010 Hadoop, NoSQL Hadoop engineers
processing

In-memory &
2010–2015 Spark, Kafka Pipeline builders
streaming

Cloud-native
2015–2020 Snowflake, Airflow Platform engineers
pipelines

Modularity & Data infrastructure

2020–2025 dbt, Fivetran, Flink
real-time experts

AI,
LLMs, Data Mesh, Data Product Owners,
2025+ decentralized
MLOps AI-powered DEs
data

1.4 DATA ENGINEERING VERSUS DATA SCIENCE

Data Engineering and Data Science are distinct yet complementary disciplines.

 Data Engineering focuses on the infrastructure, data flow, and

ensuring data is accessible and reliable.
 Data Science utilizes this structured data to extract insights,
perform analysis, and build models.
 Data Engineering sits upstream from data science. Data
engineers provide the foundational data, which is then used by
data scientists to derive insights.
1.10 Data Engineering

Data Data Science

Engineering and Analytics
Upstream Downstream

Fig. 1.2 : Data Engineering sits upstream with Data Science

Focus Areas
 Data Engineering is focused on building systems that collect,
clean, store, and move data efficiently.
 Data science focuses on analyzing and deriving value from data
through experimentation, analytics, and machine learning.
Time Spent on Tasks
 Data engineers spend most of their time building the systems
and pipelines that support data usage.
 “Data Science Hierarchy of Needs” shows that most data
scientists spend 70- 80% of their time on data gathering,
cleaning, and processing—tasks typically handled by data
engineers.

The Data Science AI,

HIERARCHY OF NEEDS Deep
Learning
A/B Testing,
Learn/Optimize Experimentation,
Simple ML Algorithms
Analytics, Metrics,
Aggregate/Label Segments, Aggregates,
Features, Training Data
Explore/Transform Cleaning, Anomaly Detection, Prep
Reliable Data Flow, Infrastructure,
Move/Store Pipelines, ETL, Structured and
Unstructured Data Storage
Instrumentation, Logging, Sensors,
Collect
External Data, User Generated Content

Fig. 1.3 : The Data Science Hierarchy of Needs

Introduction to Data Engineering 1.11
Data Management vs. Value Extraction
 Data Engineering ensures that the infrastructure, storage, and
data flow are reliable and scalable, providing a foundation for
analytics.
 Data Science uses this cleaned and well-managed data to
perform experiments, build models, and generate actionable
insights. Role in Production Environment
 Data Engineers play a crucial role in setting up production-
grade data systems that ensure data is consistently available
and easy to use.
 Data Scientists, with a focus on advanced analytics, need a
robust infrastructure from data engineering to ensure smooth
operation in real-world applications.
Ideal World Vision

 Data Engineers focus on providing a solid foundation for data

science by managing data pipelines, infrastructure, and storage.
 Data Scientists, in an ideal world, would focus over 90% of their
time on the upper layers of analytics, machine learning, and
model optimization, relying on the groundwork laid by data
engineers.
Data Engineering’s Role in Data Science Success
 Data Engineering is of equal importance to data science in
ensuring successful production deployment.
 Data Engineers play a vital role by focusing on the necessary
data infrastructure, data pipelines, and making sure the data
is accessible, clean, and structured.
 Without this foundational work, data scientists would struggle
to build effective models and analytics.

Data from Data Data Science

various Engineering and Analytics
sources

Fig. 1.4 : A data engineer gets data and provides value from the data
1.12 Data Engineering
Data Engineering vs. Data Science
Data Engineering and Data Science are two distinct but closely related
disciplines within the field of data analytics.

Aspect Data Engineering Data Science

Data infrastructure,
Data analysis, modeling,
Focus pipelines, and
and insights
processing

Prepare, transform,
Extract insights, build
Objective and manage data for
predictive models
use

Raw data cleaning, Analyzing, exploring,

Data Handling
integration, storage visualizing data

Apache Hadoop,
Python/R, Jupyter
Tools and Spark, Kafka,
Notebooks, Machine
Technologies SQL/NoSQL
Learning libraries
databases

Programming Statistics, Machine

Skills (Python, Java), ETL, Learning, Data
database management Visualization

Clean, structured data Predictive models,

Output ready for analysis and insights, actionable
reporting recommendations

Develop and maintain Analyze data, build ML

Role data pipelines, ensure models, communicate
data quality findings

Data integration, ETL Predictive analytics,

Use Cases processes, data recommendation
warehousing systems
Introduction to Data Engineering 1.13
1.5 DATA ENGINEERING SKILLS AND ACTIVITIES
The skill set of a data engineer encompasses the “undercurrents” of data
engineering: security, data management, DataOps, data architecture, and
software engineering. This skill set requires an understanding of how to
evaluate data tools and how they fit together across the data engineering
lifecycle. It’s also critical to know how data is produced in source systems
and how analysts and data scientists will consume and create value after
processing and accurating data. A data engineer handles many complex tasks
and must always work to improve factors like cost, flexibility, scalability,
simplicity, reuse, and Interoperability.

Cost Agility Scalability Simplicity Reuse Interoperability

Fig. 1.5 : The Balancing Act of Data Engineering

Skills and Balance:

The work of a data engineer involves balancing several priorities,
including:

 Cost: Minimizing expenses associated with data engineering

solutions.
 Agility: Adapting to changing business needs and data
requirements.
 Scalability: Ensuring data infrastructure can handle
increasing data volumes.
 Simplicity: Designing and building easy-to-understand and
maintainable solutions.
 Reuse: Utilizing existing data components and assets for
efficiency.
 Interoperability: Ensuring compatibility between different
data systems.
1.14 Data Engineering
Essential Skills for Data Engineers:

 Programming: Python, Java, Scala, SQL.

 Databases: Relational (MySQL, PostgreSQL) and NoSQL
(MongoDB, Cassandra).
 Big Data Technologies: Hadoop, Spark, Hive.
 Cloud Computing: AWS, Azure, GCP.
 Data Modeling: Understanding data relationships and
designing efficient schemas.
 ETL/ELT Processes: Designing and implementing data
extraction, transformation, and loading pipelines.
 Data Governance and Security: Ensuring data privacy and
compliance.
 Automation and Orchestration: Using tools like Apache
Airflow to automate data workflows.
 Data Visualization: Basic understanding of tools like Tableau
and Power BI.
 Soft Skills: Communication, collaboration, problem-solving,
and adaptability.

Key Activities of a Data Engineer

1. Building and Maintaining Data Pipelines:

 Creating automated workflows to move and transform data from
source systems to data storage solutions.
2. Data Integration:
 Integrating data from various sources, ensuring consistency
and quality throughout the process.
3. Data Quality Assurance:
 Implementing processes to monitor and ensure the quality and
integrity of data.
Introduction to Data Engineering 1.15
4. Collaboration with Stakeholders:
 Working closely with data analysts, data scientists, and
business stakeholders to understand their data needs and
ensure that data solutions meet those needs.
5. Documentation:
 Ma in ta in in g comp rehensiv e docu mentation of d ata
architectures, workflows, and processes for future reference and
compliance.
6. Performance Monitoring and Tuning:
 Continuously monitoring data systems for performance issues
and optimizing them for better efficiency.
7. Agile Architecture Development:
 Designing data architectures that can evolve with emerging
trends and technologies, ensuring they remain relevant and
effective.

What a Data Engineer Typically Does Not Do?

1. Building Machine Learning Models:
 While data engineers may have a basic understanding of
machine learning, they typically do not create or train ML
models; this is usually the responsibility of data scientists.
2. Creating Reports or Dashboards:
 Data engineers do not usually create visualizations or
dashboards; this task is often handled by data analysts or
business intelligence professionals.
3. Performing Data Analysis:
 Data analysis and interpretation of data insights are typically
conducted by data analysts or data scientists, not data
engineers.
Developing Software Applications:
 While data engineers have software engineering skills, they
1.16 Data Engineering
do not typically develop end-user applications; their focus is on
data infrastructure and pipelines.
4. Building Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):
 Defining and tracking KPIs is usually the role of business
analysts or data analysts, although data engineers may provide
the necessary data infrastructure to support these efforts.

1.6 DATA MATURITY AND THE DATA ENGINEERING

Data Maturity refers to the level of sophistication and effectiveness with
which a company utilizes its data. It is not determined by the company’s
age or revenue but rather by how well data is leveraged as a competitive
advantage. Companies can progress through various stages of data maturity,
which significantly influences the responsibilities and career development
of data engineers.

Data Maturity Model :

We propose a simplified data maturity model with three stages:
1. Starting with Data
2. Scaling with Data
3. Leading with Data

3.Leading
with data
2.Scaling
with data
1.Starting
with data

Fig. 1.6 : Our simplified data maturity model for a company

Stage 1: Starting with Data

At this stage, the company is just beginning to work with data. Their
goals might not be clear, and the data systems are still being set up. Data
isn’t being used much, and the team is small.
Introduction to Data Engineering 1.17
What the Data Engineer Does:
 The data engineer does many different jobs, like being a data
scientist or software engineer.
 The main job is to start using data quickly and show that it’s
valuable.
Key Responsibilities:
 Get approval from key people in the company to set up a data
system that fits the business goals.
 Design the data system, often doing this alone because there
might not be a dedicated architect.
 Find and organize the data that will help with important
company tasks.
 Set up a basic data structure for others to use, while also creating
reports and data models if needed.
Tips for Success:
 Try to show quick results to prove that data is useful, but avoid
creating too much technical debt (things that will need to be
fixed later).
 Talk to other departments to make sure the data work is helping
the business.
 Use ready-made solutions to keep things simple, and only build
custom solutions if they give the company a competitive edge.
Stage 2: Scaling with Data
At this point, the company has formal data processes in place and is
focused on creating systems that can handle large amounts of data. The
company is becoming more data-driven, and the data team has more
specialized roles.

What the Data Engineer Does:

 The data engineer now focuses on specific parts of the data
process, rather than doing everything.
1.18 Data Engineering
Key Responsibilities:
 Set up formal data processes and create strong data systems.
 Use practices like DevOps and DataOps to improve how data is
managed.
 Build systems that support machine learning (ML) while
keeping things simple.
Challenges to Keep in Mind:
 Be careful not to adopt the latest technologies just because they
are popular; choose what makes sense for the business.
 Scaling up is not about having better technology, but having
the right data engineering team to support it.
 Focus on leading the data team and communicating how data
can help the business.
Stage 3: Leading with Data
By this stage, the company is fully using data in all areas. Data systems
are automated, allowing people in the company to use data for their own
analysis and machine learning. Adding new data is easy, and data engineers
make sure the data is always available and properly managed.

What the Data Engineer Does:

 The data engineer keeps getting better and more specialized
in their role.
Key Responsibilities:
 Automate the process of adding and using new data.
 Build custom tools that use data to give the company a
competitive edge.
 Manage data well, ensuring it is of high quality and follows
governance rules.
 Implement tools to make data easily accessible to everyone in
the company, such as data catalogs.
 Encourage collaboration and communication between different
teams.
Introduction to Data Engineering 1.19
Challenges to Keep in Mind:
 Avoid becoming complacent once the company reaches this
stage. Always focus on improving.
 Be careful of spending time on technology projects that don’t
bring real value to the business. Only work on custom technology
when it helps the company stay competitive.
Skills Required to Succeed as a Data Engineer
A data engineer must possess a combination of technical and
operational skills to manage the data lifecycle efficiently and align with
organizational goals.
These include:

1. Core Technical Skills

 Programming Proficiency:
 SQL: Essential for querying and transforming data in
relational databases and data lakes.
 Python: Widely used for scripting, data manipulation, and
orchestration.
 JV M Language s ( Jav a/S cal a): Common f or big da ta
frameworks like Apache Spark.
 Bash: Command-line scripting for automation and system
operations. • Cloud Computing: Familiarity with platforms
like AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure for data storage, processing,
and orchestration.
 Data Architecture: Expertise in designing scalable and
maintainable systems for data pipelines, storage, and
processing.
 DataOps Practices: Automating workflows and ensuring
operational efficiency in the data lifecycle.

 Sec ur ity and Go ve rnance : Ensurin g da ta p ri va cy ,

regulatory compliance, and implementing robust access
controls.
1.20 Data Engineering
2. Key Activities
 Building scalable data pipelines for ingestion, transformation,
and serving.
 Ensuring data quality and reliability across systems.
 Automating processes to reduce manual intervention.
 Balancing cost, scalability, and performance in system design.
 Collaborating with stakeholders, including data scientists,
analysts, and business teams.

3. Modern Tooling
 Familiarity with modern data engineering tools, such as:
 Apache Spark, Kafka, Flink for data processing and streaming.
 Airflow for pipeline orchestration.
 dbt (Data Build Tool) for SQL transformations.

4. Complementary Skills
Communication: Ability to convey technical concepts to both technical and
nontechnical stakeholders.
Continuous Learning: Keeping up with evolving technologies and
industry trends.
Problem-Solving: Evaluating trade-offs and making decisions to optimize
for simplicity, cost, and agility. A data engineer’s skill set combines technical
expertise with a strategic mindset to design and manage systems that drive
value from data.

Business Responsibilities of a Data Engineer

Data Engineers, like many professionals in the data and technology
fields, have several key responsibilities that extend beyond technical tasks.
These responsibilities are vital for success and often involve collaboration,
strategic thinking, and a focus on delivering value to the organization.
Introduction to Data Engineering 1.21
1. Know how to communicate with nontechnical and technical
people
Effective communication is essential for collaborating with both
technical and nontechnical stakeholders. Data engineers must build trust
and understand organizational dynamics to enhance teamwork and problem-
solving. Observing hierarchies and silos helps establish productive
relationships.

2. Understand how to scope and gather business and product

requirements
Data engineers must define business and product requirements and
ensure alignment with stakeholders. They should also understand the
impact of data and technology decisions on business outcomes. This
awareness ensures that solutions meet organizational objectives.

3. Understand the cultural foundations of Agile, DevOps, and

DataOps.
Agile, DevOps, and DataOps are cultural practices, not just technical
solutions. Successful implementation requires organizational buy-in and
cultural understanding. Data engineers must foster collaboration and
adaptability across teams to implement these practices effectively.

4. Control Costs
Data engineers must optimize costs while delivering high value. This
includes managing timeto-value, total cost of ownership, and opportunity
costs. Regular cost monitoring is key to preventing overruns and ensuring
project sustainability.

5. Learn continuously
Data engineering evolves rapidly, so continuous learning is essential.
Skilled engineers filter through new technologies and trends, identifying
relevant and mature solutions. Maintaining strong foundational knowledge
while staying updated is critical for success. A successful data engineer
focuses on understanding the broader organizational context to create value.
Collaboration, communication, and strategic align.
A successful data engineer focuses on understanding the broader
organizational context to create value. Collaboration, communication, and
strategic alignment are often more important than technology alone in
1.22 Data Engineering
achieving success. Balancing technical expertise with business acumen leads
to a sustainable career in data engineering.

Technical Responsibilities of a Data Engineer

The role of data engineer involves designing architectures that optimize
performance and cost-efficiency using either prepackaged tools or custom-
built components.
These architectures and technologies are foundational building blocks
supporting the data engineering lifecycle, which consists of the following
stages:
1. Generation
2. Storage
3. Ingestion
4. Transformation
5. Serving

Core Underlying Aspects of the Data Engineering Lifecycle

The lifecycle is supported by these essential principles:

 Security
 Data Management
 DataOps
 Data Architecture
 Software Engineering

Key Technical Skills for Data Engineers

Data engineers must possess strong software engineering skills. While
modern tools and managed services have reduced the need for low-level
programming, data engineers now focus on higher-level tasks like writing
pipelines as code within orchestration frameworks.
Even with these abstractions, adhering to software engineering best
practices remains crucial. Data engineers who can understand and navigate
Introduction to Data Engineering 1.23
deep architectural details of codebases provide a competitive advantage to
their organizations. In short, a data engineer who cannot write production-
grade code will face significant limitations.

Essential Programming Languages for Data Engineers

Data Engineering languages are categorized into primary and
secondary languages:

 SQL: SQL is a widely used language for managing and

querying databases, making it easy to store, retrieve, and
analyze data. It regained popularity after briefly being replaced
by custom solutions like MapReduce, due to its simplicity and
efficiency.
 Python: Python acts as a bridge between data engineering and
data science, enabling seamless integration across tools and
frameworks like pandas, NumPy, and Airflow. Known for its
adaptability and extensive libraries, Python excels at gluing
components together.
 JVM Languages (Java, Scala): JVM languages, such as Java
and Scala, are widely used in Apache open-source projects like
Spark, Hive, and Druid. Known for their speed and efficiency.
 Bash: Bash is essential for scripting and automating OS-level
tasks in Linux environments, significantly improving
productivity through tools like awk and sed.
 Secondary Languages Data engineers may also need
familiarity with R, JavaScript, Go, Rust, C/C++, C#, Julia.

These languages are often required when:

 They are widely adopted across the company.

 Specific domain tools or cloud platforms depend on them.

For example,
JavaScript is used for user-defined functions in cloud data warehouses.
C# and PowerShell are integral in Microsoft Azure ecosystems.
1.24 Data Engineering
1.7 DATA ENGINEERS INSIDE AN ORGANIZATION
Data Engineers play a central role in the flow of data across an
organization. They act as connectors between upstream roles (data producers)
and downstream roles (data consumers). Their responsibilities involve
gathering, transforming, and delivering data efficiently to support analytics,
machine learning, and business decision-making.

1.Software Data
Engineers Analysts

Data Data Data

Architects Engineers Scientists
Machine
DevOps and
SREs Learning
Engineers
Upstream Data
Downstream Data
producers
consumers

Fig. 1.7 : Key Technical Stakeholders of Data Engineering

Upstream Stakeholders(Data Producers)

These stake holders generate or manage the raw data that data
engineers handle.

1. Data Architects:
 Operate at a higher level than data engineers, designing the
over all data management framework.
 Act as a bridge between technical and non-technical teams,
gu id in g en gi neers an d commun icatin g ch al leng es to
stakeholders.
 Responsible for data governance policies, cloud migrations, and
strategic data management.
 With cloud adoption, their role overlaps with data engineers,
requiring mutual understanding of best practices.
Introduction to Data Engineering 1.25
2. Software Engineers:
 Develop applications and systems that generate data (e.g.,logs,
event data).
 Their collaboration with data engineers ensures data suitability
for analytics and machine learning.
 Data Engineers must understand the characteristics of the
generated data, such as volume, format, and compliance needs.
3. DevOps Engineers and Site-Reliability Engineers (SREs):
 DevOps and SREs generated at a through operational
monitoring and may also consume data through dashboards.
 They can be considered both upstream and downstream
stakeholders, as they interact with data engineers to coordinate
the operations of data systems.
Downstream Stakeholders(Data Consumers)
These stakeholders rely on data processed by data engineers for decision-
making, analysis, and advanced applications.

1. Data Scientists
 Develop predictive models and recommendations using
processed data.
 Spend significant time on data collection, cleaning ,and
preparation—tasks that data engineers can automate to
enhance efficiency.
 Collaboration with data engineers ensures scalable and automated
data pipelines, allowing them to focus on model development.
2. Data Analysts
 Analyze historical and real-time business data to uncover
trends and performance insights.
 Use tools like SQL, spreadsheets, and BI tools for reporting and
visualization.
 Work with data engineers to integrate new data sources and
enhance data quality for better business insights.
1.26 Data Engineering
3. Machine Learning Engineers and AI Researchers
 ML engineers build and deploy machine learning models at
scale, using frameworks and cloud infrastructure.
 Their role overlaps with data engineers and data scientists, as
data engineers support ML system operations.
 AI researchers focus on improving ML techniques and depend
on data engineers for infrastructure and data access.
 Se curi ty a nd G ov er na nc e: Ensurin g da ta p ri va cy ,
regulatory compliance, and implementing robust access
controls.
4. Key Activities
 Building scalable data pipelines for ingestion, transformation,
and serving.
 Ensuringdataqualityandreliabilityacross systems.
 Automatingprocessesto reducemanualintervention.
 Balancing Cost, Scalability, and Performance in system design.
· Collaborating with stakeholders, including data scientists,
analysts, and businessteams.
5. Modern Tooling
 Familiaritywithmoderndataengineeringtools,suchas:
o Apache Spark, Kafka, Flink ford at a processing and streaming.
o Airflow for pipe line orchestration.
o dbt (Data Build Tool) for SQL transformations.
6. Complementary Skills
 Communication: Ability to convey technical concepts to both
technical and non-technical stakeholders.
 Continuous Learning: Keeping up with evolving technologies
and industry trends.
Introduction to Data Engineering 1.27
 Problem-Solving: Evaluating trade-offs and making decision
stooptimize for simplicity, cost, and agility.
A data engineer’s skill set combines technical expertise with a strategic
mindset to design and manage systems that drive value from data.

2. Business Responsibilities of a Data Engineer

Data Engineers, like many professionals in the data and technology
fields, have several key responsibilities that extend beyond technical
tasks.These responsibilities arevital for success and often involve
collaboration, strategic thinking, and a focus on delivering value to the
organization.

(i) Know how to communicate with non-technical and

technical people
Effective communication is essential for collaborating with both
technical and nontechnical stakeholders. Data engineers must
build trust and understand organizational dynamics to enhance
teamwork and problem-solving. Observing hierarchies and silos
helps establish productive relationships.
(ii) Understand how to scope and gather business and
product requirements
Data engineers must define business and product requirements
and ensure alignment with stakeholders. They should also
understand the impact of data and technology decisions on
business outcomes. This awareness ensures that solutions meet
organizational objectives.
(iii) Understand the cultural foundations of Agile, DevOps,
and DataOps.
Agile, DevOps, and DataOps are cultural practices, not just
technical solutions. Successful implementation requires
organizational buy-in and cultural understanding. Data
engineers must foster collaboration and adaptability across
teams to implement these practices effectively.
(iv) Control Costs
Data Engineers must optimize costs while delivering high value.
1.28 Data Engineering
This includes managing time-to-value, total cost of ownership,
and opportunity costs. Regular cost monitoring is key to
preventing overruns and ensuring project sustainability.
(v) Learn continuously
Data Engineering evolves rapidly, so continuous learning is
essential. Skilled engineers filter through new technologies and
trends, identifying relevant and mature solutions. Maintaining
strong foundational knowledge while staying updated is critical
for success.
A successful data engineer focuses on understanding the broader
organizational context to create value. Collaboration, communication, and
strategic alignment are often more important than technology alone in
achieving success. Balancing technical expertise with business acumen leads
to a sustainable career in data engineering.

3. Technical Responsibilities of a Data Engineer

The role of data engineer involves designing architectures that optimize
performance and cost-efficiency using either prepackaged tools or
custom-built components. These architectures and technologies are
foundational building blocks supporting the data engineering lifecycle,
which consists of the following stages:
1. Generation
2. Storage
3. Ingestion
4. Transformation
5. Serving
Core Underlying Aspects of the Data Engineering Lifecycle
The life cycle is supported by these essential principles:
 Security
 Data Management
 DataOps
 Data Architecture
 Software Engineering
Introduction to Data Engineering 1.29
Key Technical Skills for Data Engineers
Data Engineers must possess strong software engineering skills. While
modern tools a nd man ag ed serv icesha veredu cedtheneed forl ow -
levelprogramming,dataengineersnowfocus on higher-level tasks like writing
pipelines as code within orchestration frameworks.
Even with these abstractions, adhering to software engineering best
practices remains crucial. Data engineers who can understand and navigate
deep architectural details of codebases provide a competitive advantage to
their organizations. In short, a data engineer who cannot write production-
grade code will face significant limitations.

Essential Programming Languages for Data Engineers

Data Engineering languages are categorized into primary and
secondary languages:

SQL:
SQLis a widely used language for managing and querying databases,
making it easy tostore, retrieve, and analyze data. It regained popularity
after briefly being replaced by custom solutions like MapReduce, due to
its simplicity and efficiency.

Python:
Python acts as a bridge between data engineering and data science,
enabling seamless integration across tools and frameworks like pandas,
NumPy, and Airflow. Known for its adaptability and extensive libraries,
Python excels at gluing components together.

JVM Languages (Java, Scala):

JVM languages, such as Java and Scala, are widely used in Apache
open-source projects like Spark, Hive, and Druid. Known for their
speed and efficiency.

Bash:
Bash is essential for scripting and automating OS-level tasks in Linux
environments, significantly improving productivity through tools like
awk and sed.
1.30 Data Engineering
Secondary Languages
Data Engineers may also need familiarity with R, JavaScript, Go,Rust,
C/C++, C#, Julia. These languages are often required when:

 They are widely adopted across the company.

 Specific domain tools or cloud platforms depend on them.
o For example, JavaScript is used for user-defined functions
in cloud dataware houses.
o C# and PowerShell are integral in Microsoft Azure
ecosystems.
4. Data Engineers and Other Technical Roles
Data Engineers play a central role in the flow of data across an
organization. They act as connectors between upstream roles (data
producers) and downstream roles (data consumers). The irresponsibilities
involve gathering, transforming, and delivering data efficiently to support
analytics, machine learning, and business decision-making.

Software Data
Engineers Analysts

Data Data Data

Architects Engineers Scientists
Machine
DevOps and
SREs Learning
Engineers
Upstream Data
Downstream Data
producers
consumers
Fig. 1.8 : Key Technical Stakeholders of Data Engineering

Upstream Stakeholders (Data Producers)

These stakeholders generate or manage the raw data that data
engineers handle.

1. Data Architects:
 Operate at a higher level than data engineers, designing the
overall data management framework.
Introduction to Data Engineering 1.31
 Act as a bridge between technical and non-technical teams,
gu id in g en gi neers an d commun icatin g ch al leng es to
stakeholders.
 Responsible for data governance policies, cloud migrations, and
strategic data management.
 With cloud adoption, the irroleoverlaps with data engineers,
requiring mutual understanding of best practices.

2. Software Engineers:
 Develop applications and systems that generate data (e.g., logs,
eventdata).
 Their collaboration with data engineers ensures data suitability
for analytics andmachine learning.
 Data engineers must understand the characteristics of the
generated data, such as volume, format, and compliance needs.

3. DevOps Engineers and Site-Reliability Engineers (SREs):

 DevOps and SREs generated at a through operational
monitoring and may also consume data through dashboards.
 They can be considered both upstream and downstream
stakeholders, as they interact with data engineers to coordinate
the operations of data systems.

Downstream Stakeholders (Data Consumers)

These stakeholders rely on data processed by data engineers for decision-
making, analysis, and advanced applications.

1. Data Scientists
 Develop predictive models and recommendations using
processed data.
 Spend significant time on data collection, cleaning, and
preparation—tasks that data engineers can automate to
enhance efficiency.
1.32 Data Engineering
 Collaboration with data engineers ensures scalable and
automated data pipelines, allowing them to focus on model
development.
2. Data Analysts
 Analyze historical and real-time business data to uncover
trends and performance insights.
 Use tools like SQL, spreadsheets, and BI tools for reporting
and visualization.
 Work with data engineers to integrate new data sources and
enhance data quality for better business insights.
3. Machine Learning Engineers and AI Researchers
 ML engineers build and deploy machine learning models at
scale, using frameworks and cloud infrastructure.
 Their role overlaps with data engineers and data scientists, as
data engineers support ML system operations.
 AI researchers focus on improving ML techniques and depend
on data engineers for infrastructure and data access.

