Access patterns

A key consideration in system design is the access patterns of the data.

Access patterns describe how data is read and written, and how it is queried. Systems may be read-heavy or write-heavy, or have a balanced mix of reads and writes. The access patterns of a system are influenced by its [domain] and requirements such as scalability, availability, and consistency.

Access patterns can have a significant influence on the design of a system, but the patterns may not be fully understood until the system is in production. Therefore, optimizing the system design for its access patterns is a challenging [constraint] and may require [iterative] design improvements.