Notation

Pipeline Diagrams use a handful of shapes that anyone can draw on a whiteboard in seconds. Each page below covers one part of the notation: what the shape means, how to draw it, and the letter codes that add detail.

Part Shape What it stands for
Processors Processor Software that takes data in, transforms it and writes it out. Letter codes show the language.
Triggers Trigger What starts a pipeline: a person, a schedule or an event.
Data Storage Data store Any persistent or temporary store, one per table or bucket. Letter codes show the type.
Flow Flow How data moves: plain, synchronous, asynchronous, streaming or queued.
Miscellaneous User facing app Other systems, external and internal systems, user facing apps, humans, annotations, lists and groups.
Rules A diagram drawn by the rules A few guidelines that keep diagrams readable.

To draw the notation in a tool, see Drawing tools. To generate diagrams from text, see Diagrams as code.