Simon Späti Portfolio
"Second brain" style data engineering site by Simon Späti, combining 100+ in-depth articles on the open-source data ecosystem (orchestration, lakehouse formats, ETL) with an interconnected personal knowledge base and an evolving online book, "Patterns of Data Engineering."
What makes it work
A breakdown of the choices that make this portfolio stand out.
A knowledge base structured as an interconnected graph, not a flat post list
Linking 650+ notes together (a "second brain") lets a reader follow a concept across multiple related articles rather than being stuck inside one linear post — a fundamentally different information architecture than a typical blog.
A living book instead of a one-time published book
"Patterns of Data Engineering" is written and updated as an ongoing project rather than shipped once and left static, which keeps it relevant as the data engineering tooling landscape shifts underneath it.
Deep coverage of a fast-moving stack (Iceberg, DuckDB, Dagster)
Rather than treating the modern data stack tools superficially, the site tracks specific, current developments in table formats and orchestration — evidence of ongoing hands-on engagement, not a snapshot from a few years ago.
What Data Engineers can take from this
Specific, actionable tips to apply to your own portfolio — no generic advice.
Link related articles into a connected structure (tags, a glossary, backlinks) instead of a flat reverse-chronological list — it helps readers go deep on one concept.
Consider treating a long-form project as "living" and continuously updated rather than a one-time publish — it stays useful much longer.
Track and write about the specific, current tools in your space (not just the fundamentals) to prove your knowledge hasn't gone stale.
More Data Engineer portfolios
Ready to build your portfolio?
Follow the Data Engineer roadmap — skills, projects, and timeline to get hired.