DAGs

What is it?

DAGs are an acronym for Directed Acyclic Graph, which is a representation of a series of activities. It can be considered the mathematical abstraction of a data pipeline.

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Deciphering DAGs

The DAG acronym stands for:

• Directed

The activities described must be defined in sequence of each other. So if multiple activities are required, they must follow a logical sequence, having a defined upstream and downstream activity.

• Acyclic

You can’t have loops and cycles in a DAG. No task can create data which references itself. A DAG needs to have a very well-defined beginning and ending.

• Graph

A graph is a finite set of nodes, with lines connecting them. All tasks should be laid out in a concise representation, with processes occurring at set points and clear relationships between tasks.