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Last modified by Robert Schaub on 2025/12/24 21:53
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1 = When to Add Complexity =
2 FactHarbor starts simple and adds complexity **only when metrics prove it's necessary**. This page defines clear triggers for adding deferred features.
3 **Philosophy**: Let data and user feedback drive complexity, not assumptions about future needs.
4 == 1. Add Elasticsearch ==
5 **Current**: PostgreSQL full-text search
6 **Add Elasticsearch when**:
7 * ✅ PostgreSQL search queries consistently >500ms
8 * ✅ Search accounts for >20% of total database load
9 * ✅ Users complain about search speed
10 * ✅ Search index size >50GB
11 **Metrics to monitor**:
12 * Search query response time (P95, P99)
13 * Database CPU usage during search
14 * User search abandonment rate
15 * Search result relevance scores
16 **Before adding**:
17 * Try PostgreSQL search optimization (indexes, pg_trgm, GIN indexes)
18 * Profile slow queries
19 * Consider query result caching
20 * Estimate Elasticsearch costs
21 **Implementation effort**: ~
22 == 2. Add TimescaleDB ==
23 **Current**: PostgreSQL with time-series data in regular tables
24 **Add TimescaleDB when**:
25 * ✅ Metrics queries consistently >1 second
26 * ✅ Metrics tables >100GB
27 * ✅ Need for time-series specific features (continuous aggregates, data retention policies)
28 * ✅ Dashboard loading noticeably slow
29 **Metrics to monitor**:
30 * Metrics query response time
31 * Metrics table size growth rate
32 * Dashboard load time
33 * Time-series query patterns
34 **Before adding**:
35 * Try PostgreSQL optimization (partitioning, materialized views)
36 * Implement query result caching
37 * Consider data aggregation strategies
38 * Profile slow metrics queries
39 **Implementation effort**: ~
40 == 3. Add Federation ==
41 **Current**: Single-node deployment with read replicas
42 **Add Federation when**:
43 * ✅ 10,000+ users on single node
44 * ✅ Users explicitly request ability to run own instances
45 * ✅ Geographic latency becomes significant problem (>200ms)
46 * ✅ Censorship/control concerns emerge
47 * ✅ Community demands decentralization
48 **Metrics to monitor**:
49 * Total active users
50 * Geographic distribution of users
51 * Single-node performance limits
52 * User feature requests
53 * Community sentiment
54 **Before adding**:
55 * Exhaust vertical scaling options
56 * Add read replicas in multiple regions
57 * Implement CDN for static content
58 * Survey users about federation interest
59 **Implementation effort**: ~ (major undertaking)
60 == 4. Add Complex Reputation System ==
61 **Current**: Simple manual roles (Reader, Contributor, Moderator, Admin)
62 **Add Complex Reputation when**:
63 * ✅ 100+ active contributors
64 * ✅ Manual role management becomes bottleneck (>5 hours/week)
65 * ✅ Clear patterns of abuse require automated detection
66 * ✅ Community requests reputation visibility
67 **Metrics to monitor**:
68 * Number of active contributors
69 * Time spent on manual role management
70 * Abuse incident rate
71 * Contribution quality distribution
72 * Community feedback on roles
73 **Before adding**:
74 * Document current manual process thoroughly
75 * Identify most time-consuming tasks
76 * Prototype automated reputation algorithm
77 * Get community feedback on proposal
78 **Implementation effort**: ~
79 == 5. Add Many-to-Many Scenarios ==
80 **Current**: Scenarios belong to single claims (one-to-many)
81 **Add Many-to-Many Scenarios when**:
82 * ✅ Users request "apply this scenario to other claims"
83 * ✅ Clear use cases for scenario reuse emerge
84 * ✅ Scenario duplication becomes significant storage issue
85 * ✅ Cross-claim scenario analysis requested
86 **Metrics to monitor**:
87 * Scenario duplication rate
88 * User feature requests
89 * Storage costs of scenarios
90 * Query patterns involving scenarios
91 **Before adding**:
92 * Analyze scenario duplication patterns
93 * Design junction table schema
94 * Plan data migration strategy
95 * Consider query performance impact
96 **Implementation effort**: ~
97 == 6. Add Full Versioning System ==
98 **Current**: Simple audit trail (before/after values, who/when/why)
99 **Add Full Versioning when**:
100 * ✅ Users request "see complete version history"
101 * ✅ Users request "restore to specific previous version"
102 * ✅ Need for branching and merging emerges
103 * ✅ Collaborative editing requires conflict resolution
104 **Metrics to monitor**:
105 * User feature requests for versioning
106 * Manual rollback frequency
107 * Edit conflict rate
108 * Storage costs of full history
109 **Before adding**:
110 * Design branching/merging strategy
111 * Plan storage optimization (delta compression)
112 * Consider UI/UX for version history
113 * Estimate storage and performance impact
114 **Implementation effort**: ~
115 == 7. Add Graph Database ==
116 **Current**: Relational data model in PostgreSQL
117 **Add Graph Database when**:
118 * ✅ Complex relationship queries become common
119 * ✅ Need for multi-hop traversals (friend-of-friend, citation chains)
120 * ✅ PostgreSQL recursive queries too slow
121 * ✅ Graph algorithms needed (PageRank, community detection)
122 **Metrics to monitor**:
123 * Relationship query patterns
124 * Recursive query performance
125 * Use cases requiring graph traversals
126 * Query complexity growth
127 **Before adding**:
128 * Try PostgreSQL recursive CTEs
129 * Consider graph extensions for PostgreSQL
130 * Profile slow relationship queries
131 * Evaluate Neo4j vs alternatives
132 **Implementation effort**: ~
133 == 8. Add Real-Time Collaboration ==
134 **Current**: Asynchronous edits with eventual consistency
135 **Add Real-Time Collaboration when**:
136 * ✅ Users request simultaneous editing
137 * ✅ Conflict resolution becomes frequent issue
138 * ✅ Need for live updates during editing sessions
139 * ✅ Collaborative workflows common
140 **Metrics to monitor**:
141 * Edit conflict frequency
142 * User feature requests
143 * Collaborative editing patterns
144 * Average edit session duration
145 **Before adding**:
146 * Design conflict resolution strategy (Operational Transform or CRDT)
147 * Consider WebSocket infrastructure
148 * Plan UI/UX for real-time editing
149 * Estimate server resource requirements
150 **Implementation effort**: ~
151 == 9. Add Machine Learning Pipeline ==
152 **Current**: Rule-based quality scoring and LLM-based analysis
153 **Add ML Pipeline when**:
154 * ✅ Need for custom models beyond LLM APIs
155 * ✅ Opportunity for specialized fine-tuning
156 * ✅ Cost savings from specialized models
157 * ✅ Real-time learning from user feedback
158 **Metrics to monitor**:
159 * LLM API costs
160 * Need for domain-specific models
161 * Quality improvement opportunities
162 * User feedback patterns
163 **Before adding**:
164 * Collect training data (user feedback, corrections)
165 * Experiment with fine-tuning approaches
166 * Estimate cost savings vs infrastructure costs
167 * Consider model hosting options
168 **Implementation effort**: ~
169 == 10. Add Blockchain/Web3 Integration ==
170 **Current**: Traditional database with audit logs
171 **Add Blockchain when**:
172 * ✅ Need for immutable public audit trail
173 * ✅ Decentralized verification demanded
174 * ✅ Token economics would add value
175 * ✅ Community governance requires voting
176 * ✅ Cross-organization trust is critical
177 **Metrics to monitor**:
178 * User requests for blockchain features
179 * Need for external verification
180 * Governance participation rate
181 * Trust/verification requirements
182 **Before adding**:
183 * Evaluate real vs perceived benefits
184 * Consider costs (gas fees, infrastructure)
185 * Design token economics carefully
186 * Study successful Web3 content platforms
187 **Implementation effort**: ~
188 == Decision Framework ==
189 **For any complexity addition, ask**:
190 ==== Do we have data? ====
191 * Metrics showing current system inadequate?
192 * User requests documenting need?
193 * Performance problems proven?
194 ==== Have we exhausted simpler options? ====
195 * Optimization of current system?
196 * Configuration tuning?
197 * Simple workarounds?
198 ==== Do we understand the cost? ====
199 * Implementation time realistic?
200 * Ongoing maintenance burden?
201 * Infrastructure costs?
202 * Technical debt implications?
203 ==== Is the timing right? ====
204 * Core product stable?
205 * Team capacity available?
206 * User demand strong enough?
207 **If all four answers are YES**: Proceed with complexity addition
208 **If any answer is NO**: Defer and revisit later
209 == Monitoring Dashboard ==
210 **Recommended metrics to track**:
211 **Performance**:
212 * P95/P99 response times for all major operations
213 * Database query performance
214 * AKEL processing time
215 * Search performance
216 **Usage**:
217 * Active users (daily, weekly, monthly)
218 * Claims processed per day
219 * Search queries per day
220 * Contribution rate
221 **Costs**:
222 * Infrastructure costs per user
223 * LLM API costs per claim
224 * Storage costs per GB
225 * Total operational costs
226 **Quality**:
227 * Confidence score distribution
228 * Evidence completeness
229 * Source reliability trends
230 * User satisfaction (surveys)
231 **Community**:
232 * Active contributors
233 * Moderation workload
234 * Feature requests by category
235 * Abuse incident rate
236 == Quarterly Review Process ==
237 **Every quarter, review**:
238 1. **Metrics dashboard**: Are any triggers close to thresholds?
239 2. **User feedback**: What features are most requested?
240 3. **Performance**: What's slowing down?
241 4. **Costs**: What's most expensive?
242 5. **Team capacity**: Can we handle new complexity?
243 **Decision**: Prioritize complexity additions based on:
244 * Urgency (current pain vs future optimization)
245 * Impact (user benefit vs internal efficiency)
246 * Effort (quick wins vs major projects)
247 * Dependencies (prerequisites needed)
248 == Related Pages ==
249 * [[Design Decisions>>FactHarbor.Specification.Design-Decisions]]
250 * [[Architecture>>FactHarbor.Specification.Architecture.WebHome]]
251 * [[Data Model>>FactHarbor.Specification.Data Model.WebHome]]
252 ## Remember
253 **Build what you need now. Measure everything. Add complexity only when data proves it's necessary.**
254 The best architecture is the simplest one that works for current needs. 🎯