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Distributed vs. Universal Data Model: Essentials for Distributed Architectures
When transitioning from a monolith to a modular monolith or microservices architecture, breaking apart the codebase is challenging, but handling data is even harder. The data model often determines how well the new architecture performs, scales, and evolves. This session explores the essential considerations for data modeling in distributed systems, focusing on the trade-offs between distributed and universal data models.
Attendees will learn how data ownership, consistency, and communication patterns shape the boundaries between services, and how the wrong data model can lead to coupling, duplication, or performance bottlenecks. Through practical examples, the talk highlights how to align data models with architectural goals to achieve scalability, flexibility, and clarity across teams.
What You Will Learn
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The key differences between distributed and universal data models
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How to design data models that align with modular and microservice architectures
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Common pitfalls and strategies for managing data ownership and consistency
Who Should Attend
Software architects, data engineers, and developers involved in designing or refactoring distributed systems who want to make informed data modeling decisions for sustainable architecture.
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About the speaker
Venkat Subramaniam
Founder, Agile Developer, Inc.
Dr. Venkat Subramaniam is an award-winning author, founder of Agile Developer, Inc., creator of agilelearner.com, and an instructional professor at the University of Houston
He has trained and mentored thousands of software developers in the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia, and is a regularly-invited speaker at several international conferences. Venkat helps his clients effectively apply and succeed with sustainable agile practices on their software projects.
Venkat is a (co)author of multiple technical books, including the 2007 Jolt Productivity award winning book Practices of an Agile Developer. You can find a list of his books at agiledeveloper.com. Find him on twitter at @venkat_s.








