DuckDB
An in-process SQL database that chews through analytical queries without a server.
DuckDB is SQLite’s analytical cousin. Where SQLite is great for transactional stuff, DuckDB is built for crunching data. Aggregations, joins across big tables, columnar storage. All in-process, no server needed.
The Python integration is excellent. Import it, point it at a CSV or Parquet file, run SQL. It’ll happily chew through millions of rows on a laptop. You can even query Pandas DataFrames directly with SQL.
Why we use it: We query experiment logs and trade journals with it. SQL is clearer than chained DataFrame operations, and it’s usually faster too.
Verdict: If you’re doing data analysis in Python and not using this, you’re working too hard.
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