Key Takeaways
- KDB-X is being built with direct input from the KX community
- You can now test-drive KDB-X early through our Public Preview and shape what comes next
- We’ve opened up new feedback channels, from Slack to usability surveys, so we can keep the conversation going
- KDB-X supports Python, SQL, and Parquet natively to meet developers where they are
- This is a long-term commitment to transparency, openness, and co-creation with developers at the center
We are entering a new era, building the next generation of kdb+ through collaboration, openness, and partnership with the KX developer community.
At the heart of this evolution is KDB-X, our unified data platform, which has been designed from the ground up with community feedback to meet the demands of the modern workload. That means combining time-series and AI workflows without relying on fragmented tools, something we know our community struggles with.
KDB-X democratizes development, and this pivotal shift in how we design, iterate and deliver KX technology means we’re not just building a product for developers, we’re building it with them.
The Public Preview of KDB-X marks a fundamental change in how we operate and engage. For much of our history, innovation at KX was driven internally. Now we’re opening the doors, welcoming feedback, ideas, and criticism from those who use our technology every day.
Why? Because we believe developer feedback leads to smarter product decisions, more intuitive interfaces, and ultimately, helps us to remove barriers to adoption of KX technology across industries. We want KX to be as powerful as ever but also accessible, flexible, and developer-friendly.
How KX is building for–and with–developers
With KDB-X, we’ve taken concrete steps to ensure we’re listening, learning, and iterating alongside the community:
- Public Preview access: Developers now have early hands-on access to KDB-X, providing real-world feedback that informs product direction before full release.
- Open feedback channels: We’ve established multiple touchpoints to make engagement easy and impactful, including:
- The KX Slack community: kx.com/slack
- Our developer forum: forum.kx.com
- Usability survey of Community Edition via Maze
- Email: [email protected] and [email protected]
- Weekly Coffee & Chat sessions where developers and KX teams connect informally to discuss features and share feedback
But collaboration isn’t just something we’re talking about externally. Within KX, we’ve embraced a far more open and iterative process. Our engineering, product management, developer relations, and user experience teams now work in closer alignment than ever before, with community input shaping shared priorities.
KDB-X to come with key developer-centric features
KDB-X has been built with the goal of meeting developers where they are, without compromising on the performance and scalability KX is known for. Some of the upcoming features that reflect our new developer-first approach include:
- Language flexibility: KDB-X isn’t just about q. We’re expanding native integration with Python, SQL, and other popular languages to make analytics more accessible and interoperable.
- Parquet and Open Table format support: One of the biggest requests we’ve had in the last year is the ability to query Parquet data. Interoperability is a main focus of KDB-X, enabling seamless ingestion, transformation and sharing of data across modern data stacks
- Developer Tooling and Module Management: We’re invested in improving developer workflows, through better development environments with integrated tools to debug, profile and validate code, and simplifying development through tools for managing and reusing modules
Our pledge to the KX developer community
Our commitment to the developer community is a long-term pledge. Here’s what you can expect from us:
- Transparency: We’ll share what we’re working on, why we’re doing it, and how you can influence it
- Two-way dialogue: Whether through discussion forums, feedback forms, or informal chats, we’ll keep listening, and we’ll keep learning
- Open collaboration: We’re committed to building in the open, fostering contributions, co-creation, and innovation driven by the community
Join the journey
The next chapter for KX is collaborative, and we want you to be part of it. Whether you’re a long-time q expert or a curious developer exploring time-series analytics for the first time, there’s a place for you in the KX community.
Get started with KDB-X Community Edition today to explore the latest features. Join the conversation with our developer advocates, product team, and fellow builders via our Slack community or forum. Let’s shape the future of KX together.
