Getting Started
Core Concepts
Understand the fundamental building blocks of Altius.
Directed Acyclic Graph
Every pipeline in Altius is a directed acyclic graph (DAG). Nodes represent operations (sources, transformations, destinations) and edges represent data flow. The DAG structure ensures no circular dependencies and guarantees deterministic execution order.
Schema Contracts
A schema contract defines the expected structure of data flowing between nodes. It specifies column names, data types, nullability, and constraints. The schema engine validates every connection against registered contracts in real time.
Immutable Versioning
Once a schema is registered, it can never be modified. Updates create new version entries with bumped semantic versions. This guarantees complete audit history and prevents accidental breaking changes.
Sandbox Isolation
Sandboxes are isolated environments where pipeline changes can be tested without affecting production data. Each sandbox runs against copies of registered schemas, letting you validate transformations before they go live.
Related
The Quick Start Guide walks you through building your first pipeline.