From Tables to Streams: Apache Flink for SQL Developers

Abstract

What if your SQL queries could process data as it happens instead of after it’s stored? Apache Flink speaks SQL fluently, but it’s not a database – think of it as a conductor orchestrating endless streams of data rather than a librarian managing stored records. This session bridges the gap between traditional SQL and stream processing. We’ll explore: The Mental Model Shift – From “query the database” to “continuously process the stream” using intuitive analogies Flink SQL in Action: How familiar operations like SELECT, JOIN, and GROUP BY work on infinite data streams, plus temporal joins, time windows, and watermarks Table API: Programmatic control with declarative simplicity, bridging SQL and complete programming flexibility Flink AI: Real-time feature engineering and model inference on streaming data using SQL-like patterns Real-World Patterns: Fraud detection during transactions, live analytics dashboards, and event-driven architectures You’ll leave understanding not just how to use Flink SQL, but when and why it transforms traditional database skills into real-time data superpowers. Perfect for: SQL developers and data engineers ready to make their queries travel through time.