Total of 12 chapters of the book are divided into 36 parts for group discussions. Each chapter's discussions are followed by a masterclass, with total of 12 masterclasses during the odyssey. There are two additional discussions to introduce and conclude the odyssey.

Discussion sessions are 60 minutes. Masterclass sessions are 180 minutes. 

• Discussion 0

  • Introduction to the odyssey

  • Techniques for reading consistently

  • Overview of the book and the material

Chapter 1: Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Applications

• Discussion 1 (10 pages)

  • Thinking about data systems

  • Reliability

  • Scalability (partial)

• Discussion 2 (10 pages)

  • Scalability (partial)

  • Maintainability

Masterclass 0: Chapter 1

Chapter 2: Data Models and Query Languages

• Discussion 3 (14 pages)

  • Relational Model Versus Document Model

• Discussion 4 (10 pages)

  • Query languages for data

• Discussion 5 (12 pages)

  • Graph-like data models

Masterclass 1: Chapter 2

Chapter 3: Storage and Retrieval

• Discussion 6 (13 pages)

  • Data Structures that power your database

    • Hash Indexes

    • SSTables and LSM trees

    • B-Trees

• Discussion 7 (8 pages)

  • Data Structures that power your database

    • Comparing B-Trees and LSM trees

    • Other indexing structures

• Discussion 8 (13 pages)

  • Transaction processing or analytics?

  • Column-oriented storage

Masterclass 2: Chapter 3

Chapter 4: Encoding and Evolution

• Discussion 9 (15 pages)

  • Formats for encoding data

• Discussion 10 (11 pages)

  • Models of dataflow

Masterclass 3: Chapter 4

Chapter 5: Replication

• Discussion 11 (9 pages)

  • Leaders and followers

• Discussion 12 (8 pages)

  • Problems with replication lag

• Discussion 13 (11 pages)

  • Multi-leader replication

• Discussion 14 (15 pages)

  • Leaderless replication

Masterclass 4: Chapter 5

Chapter 6: Partitioning

• Discussion 15 (9 pages)

  • Partitioning and replication

  • Partitioning of key-value data

  • Partitioning and secondary indexes

• Discussion 16 (7 pages)

  • Rebalancing partitions

  • Request routing

Masterclass 5: Chapter 6

Chapter 7: Transactions

• Discussion 17 (11 pages)

  • The slippery concept of a transaction

• Discussion 18 (9 pages)

  • Weak isolation levels

    • Read committed

    • Snapshot isolation and repeatable read

• Discussion 19 (9 pages)

  • Weak isolation levels

    • Preventing lost updates

    • Write skew and phantoms

• Discussion 20 (15 pages)

  • Serializability

Masterclass 6: Chapter 7

Chapter 8: The Trouble with Distributed Systems

• Discussion 21 (13 pages)

  • Faults and partial failures

  • Unreliable networks

• Discussion 22 (13 pages)

  • Unreliable clocks

• Discussion 23 (10 pages)

  • Knowledge, truth and lies

Masterclass 7: Chapter 8

Chapter 9: Consistency and Consensus

• Discussion 24 (17 pages)

  • Consistency guarantees

  • Linearizability

• Discussion 25 (13 pages)

  • Ordering guarantees

• Discussion 26 (11 pages)

  • Distributed transaction and consensus

    • Atomic commit and two-phase commits

    • Distributed transactions in practice

• Discussion 27 (10 pages)

  • Distributed transaction and consensus

    • Fault-tolerance consensus

    • Membership and coordination services

Masterclass 8: Chapter 9

Chapter 10: Batch Processing

• Discussion 28 (15 pages)

  • Batch processing with unix tools

  • Map-reduce and distributed file systems (partial)

• Discussion 29 (14 pages)

  • Map-reduce and distributed file systems (continued)

  • Beyond map-reduce

Masterclass 9: Chapter 10

Chapter 11: Stream Processing

• Discussion 30 (10 pages)

  • Transmitting event streams

• Discussion 31 (13 pages)

  • Database and streams

• Discussion 32 (14 pages)

  • Processing streams

Masterclass 10: Chapter 11

Chapter 12: Future of Data Systems

• Discussion 33 (10 pages)

  • Data integration

• Discussion 34 (14 pages)

  • Unbundling databases

• Discussion 35 (18 pages)

  • Aiming for correctness

• Discussion 36 (11 pages)

  • Doing the right thing

Masterclass 11: Chapter 12

• Discussion 37

  • Odyssey retrospective, and completion!

I am not confident of being able to read the book consistently. I am not sure if I will be able to do this.

The odyssey helps with this specific situation! The odyssey is specifically designed for working professionals, who feel overwhelmed by the work and/or personal commitments, and have struggles with motivation. Inability to read is due to faulty reading techniques, lack of supporting peers and difficult concepts that are hard to digest. The odyssey addresses all three shortcomings.

What if I am not able to manage reading even after the techniques are taught?

Thats okay! The difficulties are discussed and addressed during the discussion sessions. Its highly recommended to join the discussion sessions if you are struggling to read. Historical data from odysseys have shown that participants are able to learn to manage their reading positively in a few weeks time. Seeing others read consistently when you miss a week or two creates motivation. Also, when others miss and you have managed to read, that normalizes failure and reinforces the possibility that its possible to come back on track if you have a red week or two.

Are discussion sessions compulsory to join?

No they aren't. You are encouraged to join the discussion sessions unless there is a strong reason to skip. Discussions offer additional space to ask deeper questions about concepts, hear others perspectives. Thats also a good break from your regular work meetings and deliverables!

I am just interested in the masterclasses.

You can join the monthly masterclasses by paying Rs 2k per month for 12 masterclasses upfront. Currently I don't offer masterclasses at a faster frequency. Given the depth and breadth of the concepts, slower consumption allows you to contexualize the learnings to your projects and situations.

Currently there is no fast-tracked masterclass (like one or two sessions per week). That will be offered in near future. Please drop an email at support [at] pakkanimbu [dot] com to tell me about your interest, and I can send you an update when this is rolled out.

What is the rationale behind this structure? 52 weeks is too long!

Empirical data with my previous odysseys with working professionals has consistently shown that people don't manage to read more than 20 pages per week of light material (e.g. The Pragmatic Programmer, which is not concepts heavy). Also, the same group does not manage to read more than 10 pages of concept rich pages alongside their job. There is usually no time or mind-space left to actually absorb those concepts, and connect the dots with actual situations in your professional journey. Hence this odyssey aims at reading about 10 pages per week.

More specifically, the odyssey isn't aimed at exposing you to the concepts of the book. You can do that yourself by flipping the pages, and watching youtube videos :). Remember, the content is always free. Its the context, that has value.

This is categorically not meant for helping you with interviews in short term, but rather meant for building the critical building blocks to become a software architect and build a strong foundation for your mid-to-senior level career.

I need to talk to someone to figure out if the odyssey will really help me or not.

Please drop an email at support [at] pakkanimbu [dot] com with your contact details, and we will give you a call back.

I want to reimburse the course fee from my employer. Can I get an invoice?

Yes, you can get an invoice with the required details at the end of the course. You can choose to get the certificate upfront by paying the full course fees upfront as well.

I need a certificate of completion for the reimbursement. Is that provided?

You will get a certificate of completion at the end of the year, once you have successfully participated in the course.