Software and data engineering drivers for best practices

Implementing data services requires you to think differently about data. Instead of knowing what the data is and just acquiring it (as with SQL in an RDBMS), you have to discover how it is stored and what it means and then set up getter criteria for access, followed by defining how you want it delivered. Then, you need to ask for it to be supplied and evenly paced so that you aren’t drowning in terms of volume. It’s a bit like orthoscopic surgery. You can look at what’s there – you can even probe it. But when you get it, you can do so only after all the preconditions are set and you better not acquire what you are not permitted to see (or even know exists). You better get it right and know how to interpret the results. Data services can be complex and not just in the development of the API syntax and rudimentary semantics. A lot of your work will go into the definition of how you set up the diamond...