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KDB/Q for Managers: Demystifying Data for Non-Tech Leaders

As a manager, your days are likely filled with meetings, navigating processes, and handling the administrative tasks that come with managing a larger team. While you may occasionally engage in technical discussions, you likely have technical leads to make key decisions in those areas. Perhaps you come from a technical background and once worked hands-on as a developer, but it's been a while since you’ve written code. However, it’s still essential to understand the KDB/Q landscape. Given the niche nature of this technology, you may not have encountered it before, and some concepts may be new to you. Don’t worry—I’ve got you covered. The study plan below provides everything a manager needs to know about KDB/Q.

Before we start​

Just like learning to walk before running, mastering KDB/Q starts with getting the basics right. Before diving into advanced topics, ensure you’ve covered the essentials. If you haven’t yet, check out the Pre-School study plan here. I encourage you to work through it and make sure you’re comfortable with the foundational concepts.

KDB/Q Knowledge for Managers​

As a manager, your interaction with KDB/Q will likely be minimal. However, there may be times when you need to query data, so it's essential to understand two key aspects: first, the typical architecture of KDB/Q and where to locate the data you need, and second, how to perform data queries. This study plan will focus on these two essentials.

KDB/Q Tick Architecture Demystified​

Learning objectives: Have a solid understanding of a typical KDB/Q Tick setup, understand the individual KDB/Q processes such as Tickerplant (TP), Real-Time Database (RDB) and Historical Database (HDB).

Core KDB/Q Language Knowledge for Managers​

Q for Mortals​

DefconQ - Q made easy​

DefconQ is the KDB/Q tech blog I launched in September 2023, just over a year ago. As a mostly self-taught KDB/Q enthusiast, I’ve experienced the steep learning curve firsthand. Driven by my passion for teaching, I created DefconQ to simplify and break down complex KDB/Q concepts. The blog posts below are designed to complement Q for Mortals.

KX Academy​

Everyone has unique learning preferences; some of us are more visual learners and thrive with a classroom-style approach. If you prefer video tutorials over reading materials, the KX Academy offers an ideal platform. The following courses cover similar content to Q for Mortals and can be used as an alternative or as a complementary resource to enhance your learning experience.

KX Product Suite​

As a manager, it's important to be familiar with the KX product suite and what KX offers beyond KDB/Q. The following section provides a brief overview of the available products.

Data Intellect's TorQ Framework​

Data Intellect is a technology consultancy with over a decade of experience in KDB/Q development, home to some of the industry’s brightest KDB/Q developers. They offer a free, production-ready KDB/Q Tick framework called TorQ. The TorQ documentation provides invaluable insights into designing, building, and implementing advanced KDB/Q applications, and its rich codebase exemplifies strong KDB/Q practices. Reviewing this framework can be a highly effective way to learn from real-world, well-structured code. Access the TorQ documentation and source code through the links provided below.

Data Intellect Blog: KDB/Q and beyond​

Beyond understanding KDB/Q’s capabilities, it’s also valuable to know how it integrates with other technologies. If you’re overseeing a large team or department, you’re likely managing multiple tech stacks alongside KDB/Q. A great resource for staying current with KDB/Q and other big data technologies is the Data Intellect blog, linked below.

This concludes our comprehensive overview of KDB/Q. This study plan should have provided you with a broad understanding of KDB/Q, its architecture, querying data, the KX product suite, and TorQ—the production-ready KDB/Q framework developed by Data Intellect. If you’re looking to dive deeper and explore KDB/Q in more detail, feel free to explore any of the other study plans.