SQL Server 2008 R2: What is StreamInsight used for

Since I posted some StreamInsight info the other day, I’ve had a bunch of people asking me what StreamInsight is used for.

StreamInsight is Microsoft’s implementation of Complex Event Processing. This is not a new market but it is new territory for Microsoft.

Complex Event Processing (CEP) is all about querying data while it’s still in flight. Traditionally, we obtain data from a source, put it into a database and then query the database. When using CEP, we query the data *before* it hits a database and derive information that helps us make rapid business decisions, potentially also including automated business decisions.

I liked the way that one of our new colleagues (Sharon Bjeletich) put it to me: “It’s about throwing the data at the query, rather than throwing the query at the data”. 

There are lots of places that this makes sense but they all involve relatively high data rates. Good examples of these are automated trading in capital markets, fraud detection in networks or in casino operations, battefield control systems for military use, outbreak management for public health, etc.

While StreamInsight may combine the data with reference data stored in SQL Server, the primary development skills needed for working with it are .NET development skills.

2010-01-11