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Complex Event Processing (CEP)

What is Complex Event Processing (CEP)?

Complex Event Processing (CEP) is a technology used for querying data before storing it in a database or analyzing it in real-time without ever storing it. CEP is an organizational tool that helps to aggregate different information and identify cause-and-effect relationships among events in real-time, allowing you to proactively take effective actions. CEP is commonly used to address the following requirements: low latency, high volume of input events per second, and complex event patterns to be detected.

Major Application Areas for Complex Event Processing (CEP)

CEP has major applications in the following areas:

  • Business Activity Monitoring: Identifies problems and opportunities in early stages by monitoring business processes and other critical resources.

  • Sensor Networks: Used for monitoring industrial facilities, usually derived from raw numerical measurements such as temperature and smoke.

  • Market Data: Such as stock or commodity prices, derived from several events and their relationships through CEP.

The Most Common Tools Used for Complex Event Processing

The most common tools used for CEP are:

  • Apache Spark Streaming used by IOMETE
  • Apache Flink used by data Artisans
  • Apache Samza used by LinkedIn
  • Apache Storm used by Twitter
  • Hadoop/MapReduce
  • Amazon Kinesis Analytics
  • Microsoft Azure Stream Analytics, Stream Insight
  • Fujitsu Software Interstage Big Data Complex Event Processing Server
  • IBM Streams, Operational Decision Manager (ODM)
  • Oracle Stream Analytics and Stream Explore

By using CEP, businesses can identify opportunities and threats in real-time, making it a valuable tool for organizations looking to stay ahead of the competition.