Innovative Approaches for Efficient Data Retrieval in Elixir with Materialized Views

In this talk, Chris Bailey from Vetspire shares experiences and solutions for optimizing data-related challenges encountered in their Elixir application. As part of the Data and Insights team, he explains the significance of databases in Elixir applications, particularly for data-intensive operations. He highlights the inefficiencies of complex SQL queries and identifies performance issues arising from tight coupling of database operations. Chris then introduces the concept of incremental materialized views, developed within an Elixir framework called Cinema. This framework enables efficient handling of large data sets by breaking down complex queries into smaller, specialized queries executed independently, thus improving performance and maintaining data integrity. The talk provides valuable insights into practical strategies for implementing materialized views in Elixir, catering to various performance requirements and operational constraints.