Don’t Try This at Home: Building an Idempotent Data Pipeline

This text discusses the technical challenges involved in building an idempotent data pipeline, focusing on correctly identifying unique records using primary keys. It highlights that databases and API endpoints differ somewhat in how they identify primary keys and read updated data. The article emphasizes the importance of understanding the exact behavior of the application that uses the data to determine which fields are fixed and unique within a particular system. It concludes by stating that mandatory primary keys are crucial for building an idempotent data integration system, as it prevents duplication and maintains general data integrity.