1di

1di is a fictional data interchange format and accompanying reference implementation designed for educational use to illustrate concepts in stream-oriented data processing. The name stands for one-dimensional data interchange and is used as a teaching tool rather than a real-world standard. It is not part of any official specifications and has no formal governance.

Overview and design goals

1di aims to demonstrate how a simple, line-oriented data format can support streaming workflows. It emphasizes readability, ease of parsing, and minimal tooling. The format models a single dimension of data, such as a time series, with an emphasis on straightforward schema definitions, predictable parsing, and lightweight serialization. The reference design prioritizes an approachable syntax for beginners while remaining useful for small-scale prototyping.

Syntax and encoding

In the fictional 1di specification, a data file begins with a brief header containing a version marker and an optional schema. Records follow as lines with fields separated by a delimiter, commonly a vertical bar. Supported data types include integers, floating-point numbers, strings, and booleans. The format is designed to be human-readable and easy to emit from simple scripts, with a focus on deterministic, streaming-friendly behavior.

Usage and pedagogy

1di is presented as a teaching aid for courses on data processing, pipelines, and serialization. It is used to illustrate how schemas, headers, and line-based records enable streaming analysis without requiring complex tooling. While it may resemble lightweight real-world formats in spirit, it is explicitly positioned as a didactic construct rather than a production standard.

Limitations

Being fictional, 1di lacks official tooling, broad ecosystem support, and real-world adoption. It is intended to provoke discussion about design choices in data interchange and to complement exercises in introductory data engineering.

See also

Data serialization formats, streaming data, educational simulations.