Time for an update! It’s been a long while since we’ve refreshed the data modeling content for Apache Cassandra. There’s been specific content as new features are released, but it’s been up to the end user to piece it all together. So I’m happy to announce my ground-up Cassandra Data Modeling Series for 2025: a  comprehensive application-focused journey designed to arm developers and architects with the latest knowledge.

The evolution you've been waiting for

If you've been away from Cassandra or are still operating on earlier versions, this series represents a perfect re-entry point. We’ll start with the assumption of using Cassandra 5.0 as the basis for building an application. If you’re coming from previous versions, you’ll get the holistic view of what a newer Cassandra can do, with vector search, enhanced indexing, and sophisticated data protection features.

Through five carefully crafted sessions running from April to July, we'll guide you through a progressive learning journey using KillrVideo, a YouTube-like application, as our consistent, real-world example. This approach ensures you'll see not just isolated concepts but how they interconnect to form a real, scalable application in production.

A thoughtfully designed learning journey

What makes this series special is its intentional arc. Each session builds upon the previous, creating a comprehensive understanding that's greater than the sum of its parts.

We begin with foundational principles that remain unchanged even in Cassandra 5.0, ensuring you have a solid grounding in the unique distributed thinking required for success.

This foundation enables us to explore the revolutionary storage-attached indexes (SAI) that transform how you approach secondary access patterns—potentially eliminating entire tables from your schema while improving performance.

With these structural elements mastered, we'll dive into the enhanced data types and functions that enable more sophisticated applications, particularly in the realms of recommendations and analytics.

As your data model takes shape, we address the critical aspects of data protection and governance that are no longer optional in today's regulatory environment.

Finally, we bring it all together with practical migration strategies that help you transition existing versions of Cassandra to this modern architecture with confidence and minimal disruption.

Why this series will transform your Cassandra experience

For those who’ve struggled with Cassandra's traditional limitations such as complex denormalization, limited indexing options, or cumbersome query patterns, this series offers some fresh thinking. Cassandra 5.0 removes many of these constraints, and our series shows you exactly how to capitalize on these improvements.

For teams considering a consolidation of other databases to Cassandra, you'll bypass years of trial and error by learning modern approaches from the start. And for current users, you'll discover how to refactor existing data models to be simpler, more performant, and more maintainable.

Practical knowledge, immediately applicable

Each session delivers concrete techniques you can implement immediately:

• Foundations of Cassandra Data Modeling (April 8) - Learn the query-first design approach that will form the basis of all your Cassandra data models

• Advanced Query Patterns (May 6) - Master SAI to simplify complex access patterns without sacrificing performance

• Data Types and Enhanced Functions (June 3) - Implement vector search and enhanced functions for sophisticated content recommendation systems

• Data Protection and Governance (July 1) - Design robust data protection mechanisms that satisfy regulatory requirements without compromising user experience

• Migration Strategies - Cassandra 3.x to 5.0 (July 29) - Apply proven migration strategies to modernize your existing Cassandra implementations

All sessions begin at 9 am PT | 5 pm CET

The complete package for modern Cassandra developers

This series isn't just about individual features. You’ll leave seeing the complete picture of modern Cassandra development. By the conclusion, you'll understand how these components work together to create data models that are:

• More intuitive and easier to maintain

• Better aligned with application query patterns

• Capable of sophisticated analytics and recommendations

• Compliant with modern data protection requirements

• Optimized for performance at any scale

Who should join this journey

Whether you're returning to Cassandra after time away, maintaining legacy systems that need modernization, or starting fresh with version 5.0, this series provides the structured, comprehensive education you need. Database architects, application developers, and data engineers will all find immense value in these sessions.

Your roadmap to Cassandra excellence

Don't miss this opportunity to transform your approach to distributed data modeling. The skills you learn in this series won't just improve your Cassandra implementations—they'll fundamentally change how you think about structured, scalable data. If you sign up for all the sessions, you’ll get a Certificate of Completion for Cassandra Data Modeling 2025. That’s cool, too!