Databases represent some of the most successful software that has ever been written, and their importance over the past fifty years is difficult to over-emphasize. Over this time they have evolved to form a vast landscape of products that cater to different data types, volumes, velocities, and query characteristics.But the broad definition of what a database ‘is’ has changed relatively little. Databases are passive receptacles that store our data, and then wait to be queried: an approach designed to help humans carry out the activities that businesses need to perform. But today’s world is far less dependent on human interaction. Booking a taxi, buying groceries, or applying for a loan to buy a house, are all increasingly automated processes driven by machines. This change in purpose forces a fundamental question: is the database in its current form the right abstraction for this machine-driven world?In this session, I’ll introduce a new type of database that caters not only for the tables and columns we’re familiar with, but also the continuous, never-ending ‘streams of events’ that represent data as it moves.