apache / apache/datafusion-python

Integrate `datafusion-distributed` with `datafusion-python`

Open
#1,612 16 comments 1 reaction 0 assignees View on GitHub
enhancement
Dominant language
Python
Stars
604
Forks
174
Avg merge
1d 7h
Merged PRs (30d)
4

Description

**Is your feature request related to a problem or challenge? Please describe what you are trying to do.**

Allow running distributed queries in `datafusion-python`

**Describe the solution you'd like**

Ideally something well integrated with `datafusion-python` that does not require big changes or using different APIs for executing distributed queries.

`datafusion-python` is already a very ergonomic wrapper for using `datafusion`, so something maintaining that philosophy without introducing a lot of API surface would be ideal.

I'm interested specifically in using the `datafusion-distributed` library from within Python, and I see three mutually exclusive ways of integrating it:
- Make `datafusion-python` depend on `datafusion-distributed`, hiding some internal plumbing in `datafusion-python` and extending the current API with distributed capabilities.
- Create an external crate that depends on both `datafusion-distributed` and `datafusion-python` that ships an external API for using distributed functionality in `datafusion-python`
- Make `datafusion-distributed` depend on `datafusion-python`, providing a set of functions and classes that decorate `datafusion-python` with distributed capabilities

I'm not sure which approach aligns best with this project's philosophy, the naive intuition from someone unfamiliar with this project is that the first option has greater chances of providing a well integrated experience, and it's probably the easiest to implement due to the fact that internal plumbing in the Rust world can be hidden in this project.

I actually tried this here:
- https://github.com/apache/datafusion-python/pull/1611

And the fact that with only ~1K LOC, examples and tests included, can yield a functional integration, makes me think that it might actually not be a bad idea. But again, I don't know what I don't know, so would very gladly accept feedback and suggestions on something different.

Contributor guide

No contributing guide indexed for this repository

Research direction

Start by reviewing the attempted integration in pull request #1611 and the existing datafusion-python and datafusion-distributed APIs. Compare the three proposed dependency and API arrangements, then check the examples and tests included in that attempt. Done means an agreed integration direction that enables distributed queries from Python without unnecessary API changes.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
python, rust
Domain
data-engineering, distributed-systems
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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