sourcestream

Source stream is a term used in data processing and streaming architectures to denote the original stream of data that feeds a processing pipeline. It represents the data as captured from source systems before any transformations, enrichments, or aggregations are applied.

Source streams can be continuous or finite and are typically unbounded in real-time scenarios. They often carry source-specific metadata such as the origin system identifier, a timestamp, and a version or schema descriptor. In practice, a sourcestream is distinguished from derived streams, which result from processing steps that transform, join, or aggregate the original data.

Source streams enable data lineage, auditing, and reproducibility because they preserve the original, unmodified input. They are a key input to ETL processes, real-time analytics, monitoring, and event-driven architectures, where downstream operators subscribe to the sourcestream and apply business logic.

Common examples include a web server access log stream, sensor readings from IoT devices, call detail records from a telecom, or transactional events from a payment system. In many architectures, the sourcestream is persisted in a durable store or replicated to multiple downstream processing trajectories.

Challenges associated with sourcestreams include data quality at the source, handling schema evolution, late or out-of-order data, latency, and privacy or governance concerns. Proper provenance and documentation help maintain trust in downstream analytics and audits.

See also: data stream, stream processing, event stream, data provenance, ETL, sensor data.