--- title: "SurrealDB vs. Data Platforms | Why Surreal" description: "How SurrealDB complements Databricks, Snowflake, and other data platforms. Complementary positioning for real-time agent infrastructure." url: https://surrealdb.com/why/vs-data-platforms --- # SurrealDB vs. data platforms SurrealDB is not competing with Databricks, Snowflake, or other data platforms. We complement them. Different layers, different problems. [Start free with SurrealDB](https://studio.surrealdb.com/current/instances/deploy) [Explore Cloud](https://surrealdb.com/cloud) 1. ![Babcock](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/babcock.lo4rnVg1.svg) 2. ![ING](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/ing.X3I6S3_V.svg) 3. ![British Airways](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/british-airways.KEsZiwV-.svg) 4. ![Nvidia](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/nvidia.DaIEuMil.svg) 5. ![Apple](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/apple.D5pq4flY.svg) 6. ![SpaceX](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/spacex.CQJEk-IL.svg) 7. ![Samsung](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/samsung.CH-vQgnb.svg) 8. ![adidas](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/adidas.DdTC5qhk.svg) 9. ![Tencent](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/tencent.paQmLxyy.svg) 10. ![Alibaba](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/alibaba.B16idgfM.svg) 11. ![PolyAI](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/poly-ai.c3w_fAg6.svg) 12. ![Later](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/later.Ds736jFO.svg) 13. ![Verizon](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/verizon.BI7CajdX.svg) 14. ![Liberty Mutual](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/liberty-mutual.B7qOU1pd.svg) 15. ![Walmart](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/walmart.BjDg_Sr8.svg) 16. ![Carrier](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/carrier.D21gC6NX.svg) 17. ![Saks Fifth Avenue](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/saks-fifth-avenue.COIDpLSb.svg) 18. ![San Francisco Compute Company](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/sfcc.B7jlImq4.svg) 19. ![Shield AI](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/shield-ai.pINZ0KJr.svg) 20. ![Wix](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/wix.DvHhmoBi.svg) COMPLEMENTARY ## Different problems, different layers Data platforms (Databricks, Snowflake) are analytical warehouses for batch processing. SurrealDB is an operational database for real-time agent infrastructure. ### Data platforms Batch analytics, data lakes, ML training pipelines. Optimised for historical analysis and model training. ### SurrealDB Real-time operations, agent context, transactional workloads. Optimised for serving and inference. HOW THEY WORK TOGETHER ## The data flow Your data platform enriches features with batch analytics. SurrealDB serves those enriched features in real-time to agents via live queries. The data platform answers “what happened.” SurrealDB answers “what should happen next.” ### Ingest and enrich Databricks or Snowflake processes raw data into features, segments, and scores through batch pipelines. ### Serve in real-time Enriched features flow into SurrealDB where agents and applications query them with sub-millisecond latency. ### Agent context Agents read enriched context from SurrealDB, reason over it with Agent Memory, and write decisions back. ### Feedback loop Agent outcomes and user interactions flow back to the data platform for the next training cycle. CONTEXT LAYERS ## Context above the database vs. context in the database A new category of “context layer” products is emerging - semantic platforms that sit between data sources and AI agents. They solve a real problem, but they solve it as middleware, not at the database layer. ### Honeydew Semantic layer compiling business logic into governed SQL for BI and AI agents. Strong governance, but static definitions that require manual maintenance. ### Atlan Enterprise data graph with catalog, lineage, governance, and MCP server. Rich metadata, but bootstraps context from existing systems rather than owning the transactional substrate. ### RelationalAI Decision intelligence platform inside Snowflake with graph, rules-based, and predictive reasoning. Powerful analytics, but tied to an analytical platform. TRUSTED BY ## Enterprise teams building on SurrealDB From knowledge graphs to AI assistants - how enterprise teams are building on SurrealDB. ![Samsung](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/4c58b81e7b3c9466.C_Hv0eml.svg) DATABASE ### [Unlocking insights with knowledge graphs](https://surrealdb.com/customer/samsung) Samsung Ads uses SurrealDB to build dynamic, real-time knowledge graphs for smarter campaign execution - collapsing three legacy data stores into one. Read case study ![Verizon](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/18b99996c689000f.B5PQ-nI9.svg) DATABASE ### [AI assistant empowering 10,000 technicians](https://surrealdb.com/customer/verizon) Verizon uses SurrealDB to power a generative AI assistant for 10,000 field technicians, delivering instant access to documentation, outage updates, and workflows. Read case study ![Tencent](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/401d8346058682c8.DqM87mst.svg) DATABASE ### [Unified infrastructure monitoring](https://surrealdb.com/customer/tencent) Tencent consolidated nine backend tools into one real-time monitoring platform powered by SurrealDB's multi-model context graph. Read case study ![PolyAI](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/c5fa07c66cd05131.BnC7wHcc.svg) DATABASE ### [High-performance customer service AI powered by RAG](https://surrealdb.com/customer/polyai) PolyAI connects SurrealDB to Agent Studio for low-latency, customer-controlled RAG across voice AI experiences. Read case study ![Saks Fifth Avenue](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/saks-fifth-avenue-white.pDJ9HGmf.svg) DATABASE ### [AI-powered personalisation at massive scale](https://surrealdb.com/customer/saks) Saks Fifth Avenue uses SurrealDB's vector search and graph capabilities to deliver real-time, AI-powered personalisation across 5 million luxury customers and 45 million monthly product-recommendation queries. Read case study FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ## Data platforms Is SurrealDB replacing my data platform? How do data platforms and SurrealDB connect? What about context layer middleware like Honeydew or Atlan? GET STARTED ## Add the operational layer Connect SurrealDB to your existing data platform investment. Real-time serving for the insights your analytics stack produces. ![Samsung](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/4c58b81e7b3c9466.C_Hv0eml.svg)![NVIDIA](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/nvidia.DaIEuMil.svg)![Apple](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/f7dc2519e0d212bc.Cn8MYAK7.svg)![Verizon](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/18b99996c689000f.B5PQ-nI9.svg)![Tencent](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/401d8346058682c8.DqM87mst.svg) SOC 2 Type 2 GDPR Cyber Essentials Plus ISO 27001 [Start free with SurrealDB](https://studio.surrealdb.com/current/instances/deploy) [Explore Cloud](https://surrealdb.com/cloud) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Organization","name":"SurrealDB","url":"https://surrealdb.com","logo":"https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/logo.BG7_TG2b.svg","description":"SurrealDB is the unified data layer for AI. 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