3M: Parallel Serverless Workflows for Materials Science

Summary

In this episode of 'This is My Architecture', Peter from 3M discusses the company's serverless architecture designed to streamline material development for over 8000 global scientists. The system ensures fine-grained access control using UUIDs and a DynamoDB table to manage user permissions, protecting intellectual property while facilitating fast access to novel materials. Additionally, a GraphQL layer caters to business analysts' programmatic data needs, highlighting 3M's commitment to innovation and global user support.

Takeaways

• 🌟 3M is a global technology company with a focus on materials development and the application of science to everyday life.
• 🔍 The architecture discussed is designed to assist 3M's scientists in their research and development process more efficiently.
• 🌐 Scientists worldwide interact with the application through the web, using their browsers for authentication and access control.
• 🛡️ Fine-grained access control is implemented using UUIDs and a bit mask system to manage user permissions on material properties.
• 🔐 The system is crucial for protecting 3M's intellectual property, especially in keeping novel materials confidential until patent readiness.
• 🚦 The first step in the user request process is to verify access rights through a dedicated DynamoDB table.
• 🔄 After access verification, the user request is handled by a 'remix Lambda', which is a monolithic Node application for UI rendering and data interaction.
• 🗃️ The primary database for storing material data is an Aurora Managed PostgreSQL, ensuring robust data management.
• 🤖 In addition to scientists, business analysts also use the system, but they access the data through a GraphQL layer for more flexible, programmatic queries.
• 🌍 The architecture is completely serverless, allowing 3M to serve its global user base without the need for physical servers.
• 🏆 The architecture showcases a dual approach to data access, catering to different user needs while maintaining performance and security.

Q & A

What is the motto of 3M and what does it signify?

3M's motto is 'science applied to life', signifying the company's focus on applying scientific innovation to improve everyday life through their global technology solutions.

What is Peter's role in 3M's research and development unit?

Peter is a software engineer in 3M's research and development unit, whose job is to help scientists accomplish their goals more efficiently and to facilitate the development of new materials more quickly.

How does 3M's application help scientists interact with novel materials?

The application provides a platform for scientists to interact with and access information about novel materials, streamlining the process and enabling faster development and access to these materials.

What is the primary audience for 3M's application?

The primary audience for 3M's application is over 8000 material scientists located in labs across 50 countries globally.

How does the application handle user authentication?

The application uses an authentication provider to verify users through their web browsers, with the authentication result being processed by a Lambda function.

What is the purpose of the DynamoDB in 3M's architecture?

DynamoDB is used to manage access control, storing UUIDs of materials, associated user IDs, and access levels to determine what users are allowed to do with specific materials.

Why is fine-grained access control important for 3M?

Fine-grained access control is crucial for 3M to protect intellectual property and maintain the secrecy of novel materials until they are ready for patenting, while still allowing scientists to access necessary information for their work.

What is the role of the 'remix Lambda' in the application?

The 'remix Lambda' is a monolithic node application that handles the rendering of the user interface and interacts with the data store, which is an Aurora Managed PostgreSQL database.

How does the architecture support different user needs within the company?

The architecture uses two Lambda functions to serve different user bases: one for scientists accessing the application through a web interface and another for business analysts who require programmatic access to data via a GraphQL layer.

What is the significance of using a GraphQL layer for business analysts?

The GraphQL layer provides a robust contract and a powerful interface for business analysts, allowing them to query the database as needed in a programmatic way.

How does the serverless architecture benefit 3M as a global company?

The serverless architecture allows 3M to serve users across the globe efficiently, without the need to manage servers, ensuring scalability and performance for their worldwide operations.