An article discussing the importance of time series databases and data visualization tools like Grafana for managing and interpreting streams of data in various applications.
The author mentions several time series databases (TSDs) and visualization tools, focusing on their features, advantages, and some limitations. The article also provides an example of a Building Management and Control (BMaC) project that uses InfluxDB and Grafana for data visualization.
| Database | Description | Notable Features |
|-------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| InfluxDB | Partially open source, with version 3 being an edge data collector. | Shard-based storage, compaction levels, time series index, optional retention. |
| Apache Kudu | Column-based database optimized for multidimensional OLAP workloads. | Part of the Apache Hadoop ecosystem. |
| Prometheus | Developed at SoundCloud for metrics monitoring. | Written in Go, similar to InfluxDB v1 and v2. |
| RRDTool | All-in-one package with a circular buffer TSD that also does graphing. | Language bindings for various programming languages. |
| Graphite | Similar to RRDTool but uses a Django web-based application to render graphs. | Web-based graphing. |
| TimescaleDB | Extends PostgreSQL, supporting typical SQL queries with TSD functionality and optimizations. | Supports all typical SQL queries. |
The article also discusses Grafana as a popular tool for creating dashboards to visualize time series data, mentioning its compatibility with multiple TSDs and SQL databases. It concludes by highlighting the importance of understanding one's specific needs before choosing a TSD and visualization solution.
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