Hello!
Perhaps you’re just learning q and kdb, or maybe you’ve been using them for years, but something’s got you stuck. You want answers. Fast. That’s why you’re using kdb in the first place, right?
Our names are Jim and Nate, and we’ve spent – and continue to spend – much of our time reading and writing q code as well as building kdb databases and analytics on top of them. We also spend a lot of time with our users, teaching them how to use q and kdb more effectively as well as helping them implement their ideas. They come to us, because they know that’s the fastest way to get the answers they need.
Recently, the idea of writing a book came up in our conversation. We talked about numerous programming books we liked, including a few (such as Bentley’s Programming Pearls and Meyer’s Effective C++), that grew from a series of focused articles. Often an article left us feeling grateful for the pitfalls from which it rescued us. Sometimes an article even left us feeling inspired.
Who wants to wait for a whole book to be finished before getting their answers? One of the best features of an article is that it is short! Besides, writing a few articles seemed feasible, whereas the idea of a book seemed a bit, well, ambitious.
As the concept took shape, we thought to ourselves, hey, this is the 21st century. We’re computer programmers, right? Moreover, we strive to be agile ones: we believe in releasing early and often; we believe many of the best ideas will come from the community.
So, we created this site to host a growing collection of articles that will eventually become our book. Although we will be very fortunate indeed if any one of our writings inspires you, we are confident we can help you navigate the powerful yet cryptic waters of q and kdb. Fast.
Thanks for taking the time to visit our site. If you have a question or suggestion, talk to us: feedback@kdbfaq.com
Special thanks to our friends at kx for their support.