Pipeline
A sequence of data processing or AI steps connected together, where each step's output feeds into the next.
In-Depth Explanation
A pipeline is a series of connected processing stages where data flows through in sequence, with each stage transforming the data for the next. Pipelines bring structure and reliability to complex AI operations.
Types of AI pipelines:
- Data pipelines: Extract, transform, load (ETL) operations
- ML pipelines: Training, validation, deployment workflows
- Inference pipelines: Processing requests through multiple steps
- RAG pipelines: Query → retrieve → augment → generate
Pipeline components:
- Sources: Where data originates
- Transforms: Operations that modify data
- Sinks: Where results are stored/sent
- Monitors: Track pipeline health and quality
Benefits of pipeline architecture:
- Modularity: Easy to modify individual steps
- Testability: Each stage can be tested independently
- Reusability: Components can be shared across pipelines
- Observability: Clear points to monitor and debug
- Scalability: Individual stages can be scaled independently
Pipeline best practices:
- Design for idempotency (rerunning produces same result)
- Implement comprehensive logging
- Build in data validation between stages
- Plan for failure recovery
Business Context
Well-designed pipelines enable reliable, repeatable AI workflows for tasks like document processing or content generation.
How Clever Ops Uses This
We architect robust AI pipelines for Australian businesses, ensuring reliable operation in production with proper monitoring, error handling, and scalability.
Example Use Case
"A document pipeline: upload → extract text → chunk → embed → store → index, each step feeding the next."