complexevent

Complexevent is a concept in complex event processing (CEP) describing an event derived from combining several simpler events across one or more streams and time intervals. It represents a higher‑level state or condition that would not be detectable from any single input alone. In CEP, complex events are defined by patterns, temporal constraints, and aggregations over time windows.

Core ideas include patterns, windows, and correlation. Patterns specify how simple events relate, such as A followed by B within five minutes, A and B occurring within a common window, or the absence of B after A. Time windows, including tumbling and sliding windows, bound how long events are considered and how often a complex event can be emitted. Aggregations compute metrics over the contributing events, such as counts, sums, or averages, which may feed into the complex event’s attributes.

Processing mechanisms involve automata-based matching, rule engines, and SQL‑like streaming queries. CEP engines maintain state about partial matches or ongoing patterns and produce a complex event when a pattern is satisfied, often with derived attributes or confidence scores. Output complex events can trigger actions, generate alerts, or feed downstream analytics.

Applications span domains with real‑time decision needs, including financial fraud detection, network and system monitoring, industrial IoT analytics, and supply chain visibility. Complexevent is a foundational element of CEP and related approaches such as event‑driven architectures and stream processing. It emphasizes the synthesis of multiple signals into meaningful, timely insights rather than relying on single, isolated events.