About

The book

The context, origin, and attribution of this work.

Dedication and acknowledgements#

This book is dedicated to N.H. and G.H.

It was born from years of ongoing dialogue with developers and business stakeholders at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry between 2017 and 2025.

It would not have been possible without the many data engineers and analysts who contributed their thinking, challenged assumptions, and worked through complex problems in practice. Their experiences, questions, and solutions form the foundation of much of what is written here.

Special thanks to E.D. and M.T. for their contribution and support throughout this journey, and to M.C., Z.B., D.S., S.S., S.M., S.M., and R.D. for their review and feedback.

Origin and release#

Principles of Data Engineering was written in the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, and released under Freedom of Information.

The site principlesofdataengineering.org is a web edition of that manuscript. It has been transcribed, edited, restructured, and supplemented for online publication by Matthias Wong.

Attribution#

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. 2026. Principles of Data Engineering manual FOI Disclosure Log Reference 35670.

The book Principles of Data Engineering includes adapted and additional material by Matthias Wong.