Workload-aware architecture design for Apache Doris. 8 decision rules, 3 worked examples. Complements

doris-best-practices

with sizing-first workflow.

1. DDL validation — The

   doris-best-practices

   skill handles DDL correctness. Its Pre-Flight Checklist and DDL Gotchas apply to every CREATE TABLE. This advisor focuses on architecture decisions (which model, which partition strategy, which indexes), not DDL syntax. Always calculate explicit bucket counts. If volume is unknown, choose a conservative default: 3 for small dimensions, 8 for medium tables, 16-32 for large daily fact tables.
2. Classify workload — Read

   references/decision-workload-classification.md

   . Match user's scenario to one or more of the 6 workload types. Composite workloads (e.g., IoT = time-series + device state + logs + dashboards) decompose into multiple sub-tables.
3. Size the cluster — Read

   references/decision-sizing-matrix.md

   . Estimate write throughput, query QPS, latency target, and hot data volume. Output sizing as total vCPU and total cache only — never break down into per-node specs (in cloud / storage-compute mode, node count is typically managed by the platform). Also read

   references/decision-deployment-mode.md

   if user hasn't specified cloud vs on-prem.
4. Design architecture — Based on workload classification, read the relevant decision rules:

   Workload signal	Read these rules
   Append-only events, logs, time-series	decision-data-model-selection , decision-time-series-design , decision-ingestion-strategy
   Updates, CDC, device state tracking	decision-data-model-selection , decision-mutable-state , decision-ingestion-strategy
   Semi-structured / multi-protocol JSON	decision-data-model-selection (VARIANT section)
   Dashboards, pre-aggregated metrics	decision-query-acceleration
   Point query API, high-concurrency lookups	decision-query-acceleration (point query section)
   Text search, log search, full-text	decision-query-acceleration (index section)
   Vector / embedding search	decision-query-acceleration (vector section)
   Warehouse layering (ODS/DWD/DWS/ADS)	decision-workload-classification (layering section), decision-data-model-selection
   Multi-department / workload isolation	decision-workload-classification (isolation section)
   Hot/cold tiering with data lake	decision-workload-classification (lakehouse section), decision-deployment-mode

   Output the architecture design: data flow diagram, table-per-sub-workload mapping, and the key design decisions (model, partition strategy, bucket key, indexes, compression, ingestion method) for each table.
5. Generate DDL — Produce CREATE TABLE statements applying ALL constraints from step 1. Calculate explicit bucket counts with the formula in

   decision-time-series-design.md

   ; use the fallback counts above when inputs are incomplete. For each table, cite the best-practices rule that drove the decision.

• Workload Summary — Classification, write rate, QPS, latency target, hot data volume
• Sizing Recommendation — Warehouse tier, storage estimate, cache strategy
• Architecture Overview — Data flow from sources → ingestion → Apache Doris → applications
• Table Designs — CREATE TABLE with inline comments citing decision rules
• Rules Checked — For each table, list the rules applied with exact file paths so users can look up the rule for troubleshooting. Format:

  Per [rule-name](doris-best-practices/references/rule-name.md)

  . Example:

  Table: sensor_readings
  Rules Applied:
  - [schema-model-choose-for-workload](doris-best-practices/references/schema-model-choose-for-workload.md) — DUPLICATE for append-only
  - [schema-bucket-target-size](doris-best-practices/references/schema-bucket-target-size.md) — 10 buckets (21 GB / 2 GB)
  - [schema-props-compression](doris-best-practices/references/schema-props-compression.md) — ZSTD for IoT data

• Decision Provenance — Each recommendation tagged:

  official

  (from Doris docs),

  derived

  (logical inference), or

  field

  (experience heuristic with disclaimer)

• references/example-iot-sensor-platform.md

  — IoT: 50K sensors, composite workload, 4 tables

• references/example-log-observability.md

  — Logs + traces + metrics, inverted index, ZSTD

• references/example-cdc-operational-sync.md

  — MySQL CDC, UNIQUE MoW, sequence column

• references/example-securities-analytics.md

  — Securities firm: ODS→DWD→DWS→ADS layering, customer 360, compliance, lakehouse, workload isolation

• references/example-retail-fashion.md

  — Retail/fashion: omnichannel inventory, wide+tall table for user profiling, BITMAP segmentation, multi-brand isolation, peak season scaling

• references/example-logistics-courier.md

  — Logistics/courier: AGGREGATE for parcel status (MIN/MAX/REPLACE), vehicle GPS with GIS + cooldown_ttl, sorting center KPIs, platform consolidation (Presto+Kudu+ES+HBase→Apache Doris)

• references/example-web3-exchange.md

  — Web3/crypto: multi-chain VARIANT schema, custody monitoring, TVL/token async MVs, AML risk detection, wallet profiling, session analysis

• references/example-payment-fintech.md

  — Payment/fintech: partial column update for tx lifecycle, acquiring row-column hybrid (100+ cols), merchant reconciliation, risk engine, log platform replacing ES, Lambda→unified architecture

• references/example-gaming.md

  — Gaming: retention/funnel analysis, player profiling BITMAP, NL2SQL Agentic analytics via MCP, anti-cheat anomaly detection, lakehouse for offline data

• references/example-adtech-marketing.md

  — AdTech/marketing: dual-path RTB serving + analytics, DSP/ADX, creative analysis with VARIANT + vector, cross-border multi-region, replacing Redis+MySQL+HBase+Hive

• Reviewing existing DDL → use

  doris-best-practices

  instead
• Optimizing a slow query → use

  doris-best-practices

  query rules
• CLI / connection setup → use

  doris-best-practices

  "Connection & CLI" section