Announcing DataBrain's CockroachDB Integration: Global Multi-Tenant Embedded Analytics

Modern SaaS applications serve customers across continents, but delivering fast embedded analytics globally has meant choosing between performance, compliance, and complexity. Traditional databases force you into single-region deployments with high latency for distant users, or complex multi-region setups with eventual consistency and operational overhead.

Today, we're launching native CockroachDB integration for DataBrain, enabling you to build globally distributed, multi-tenant analytics without the infrastructure complexity. CockroachDB's distributed SQL architecture combined with DataBrain's purpose-built analytics platform means you can deliver sub-20ms dashboard loads to customers in London, Singapore, and São Paulo—all from their nearest data center.

Companies like Netflix, Comcast, and DoorDash rely on CockroachDB for mission-critical distributed applications. Now you can embed the same enterprise-grade reliability into your customer-facing analytics.

Why DataBrain + CockroachDB for Embedded Analytics

Global Low Latency Without Operational Complexity

CockroachDB automatically replicates data across regions and routes queries to the nearest data center. No manual configuration, no custom routing logic in your application code.

The difference:

• Traditional PostgreSQL: 200ms+ latency for transatlantic queries
• CockroachDB + DataBrain: Sub-20ms queries served from local nodes

European customers query EU nodes, US customers query US nodes—automatically. DataBrain handles the intelligent routing while CockroachDB ensures strong consistency everywhere.

Data Residency and Compliance Built-In

CockroachDB's LOCALITY REGIONAL BY ROW feature keeps EU customer data in EU regions and US data in US regions—meeting GDPR, CCPA, and industry regulations without manual partitioning.

Compliance by design:

• Automatic geo-partitioning per tenant
• Audit trails showing data location
• Regional failover within compliance boundaries
• No application-level geo-routing required

DataBrain's tenant-aware queries combined with CockroachDB's geo-pinning eliminate months of compliance engineering.

Multi-Tenancy Without Architectural Complexity

Serve thousands of tenants from shared infrastructure while maintaining strict security boundaries:

• Automatic tenant isolation: DataBrain appends tenant filters to every query
• Row-Level Security (RLS): Database enforces isolation even if application logic fails
• Shared infrastructure, isolated data: Cost-efficient multi-tenancy at scale
• Defense-in-depth security: Multiple layers prevent cross-tenant data leaks

One Analytics Layer Instead of DIY Infrastructure

DataBrain eliminates 3-6 months of engineering work:

• 50+ chart types out of the box
• Multi-datasource support: Query CockroachDB alongside PostgreSQL, ClickHouse, Snowflake
• Automatic metric reuse across tenants
• Built-in governance (RBAC, CLS, RLS) as platform capabilities
• White-labeled embeds that match your brand

Focus on your core product while DataBrain handles the analytics infrastructure.

PostgreSQL Compatibility With Distributed Superpowers

CockroachDB speaks the PostgreSQL wire protocol:

• Use existing PostgreSQL drivers and tools
• Compatible SQL syntax—most queries work unchanged
• Familiar tooling: psql, DataGrip, pgAdmin
• Incremental migration from PostgreSQL

DataBrain connects to CockroachDB exactly like PostgreSQL, with automatic optimizations for distributed systems.

How the Integration Works

DataBrain's CockroachDB connector leverages the PostgreSQL wire protocol while adding distributed-specific optimizations:

Architecture Flow:

Key Features:

1. Automatic Tenant Context: DataBrain extracts tenant ID from your authentication and appends filters to every query—zero risk of cross-tenant data exposure
2. Multi-Datasource Routing: Query CockroachDB for transactional data alongside ClickHouse for time-series data in a single dashboard
3. Connection Pooling: Optimal connection management to distributed nodes with automatic retry logic
4. Governance Platform: RBAC, Column-Level Security, and Row-Level Security enforced automatically—configure once, DataBrain enforces everywhere

Getting Started in 5 Steps

1. Set Up CockroachDB Cluster

CockroachDB Cloud (recommended):

• Sign up at cockroachlabs.cloud
• Create multi-region cluster in regions where your customers are located
• Free tier available for testing

Self-Hosted Option: Deploy in your own infrastructure or cloud provider

2. Connect to DataBrain

1. Log into DataBrain
2. Navigate to Data Sources → Add Data Source
3. Select CockroachDB
4. Enter connection details (host, port, database, credentials)
5. Enable SSL for encrypted connections
6. Test connection and save

DataBrain automatically discovers your schemas and tables.

3. Configure Tenant Context

Set up tenant extraction from your authentication. DataBrain automatically applies tenant context to all queries—no manual filtering required.

4. Build Your Dashboard

1. Create new dashboard in DataBrain
2. Add metrics using standard SQL queries
3. Choose visualizations (charts, tables, KPIs)
4. Configure filters and drill-downs
5. Preview with sample tenant data

5. Embed in Your Application

Your globally distributed analytics are live—queries automatically route to customers' nearest CockroachDB region.

Total setup time: 15-30 minutes

Key Benefits for SaaS Teams

• Ship 10x faster: Deploy global analytics in days, not months
• Eliminate compliance engineering: Automatic data residency without manual partitioning
• Sleep through outages: Multi-region failover keeps dashboards online during data center failures
• Scale effortlessly: Horizontal scaling from 10 to 10,000 tenants with identical architecture
• Predictable costs: No per-query markups or per-user fees

Real-World Use Cases

Global B2B SaaS Platform

Challenge: Serve 3,000+ tenants across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific with data residency requirements

Solution: CockroachDB multi-region cluster with DataBrain's tenant routing

Results:

• Dashboard load time: P95 < 300ms globally (down from 2.5s)
• 100% GDPR compliance with EU data in EU regions
• 35% cost reduction vs. separate regional PostgreSQL clusters

Financial Services Analytics

Challenge: Compliance analytics requiring SOC 2 audit trails and strict data isolation

Solution: CockroachDB with database-level isolation, RLS policies, and DataBrain audit logging

Results:

• Passed SOC 2 Type II audit on first attempt
• 100% query audit trail for compliance
• 99.99% uptime for customer dashboards

IoT Analytics Platform

Challenge: Real-time device telemetry for manufacturing customers, 50M+ events/day

Solution: CockroachDB geo-partitioned by facility location with DataBrain real-time dashboards

Results:

• P95 < 500ms for real-time metrics
• $0.12 per million events stored
• 8 regions with automatic failover

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CockroachDB and why use it for embedded analytics?

CockroachDB is a distributed SQL database with PostgreSQL compatibility, automatic multi-region replication, and strong consistency (ACID). For embedded analytics, it solves global latency and data residency challenges—serving dashboards from customers' nearest data center while maintaining GDPR compliance automatically.

How does DataBrain integrate with CockroachDB?

DataBrain connects via the PostgreSQL wire protocol, making integration seamless. Add CockroachDB as a data source, and DataBrain automatically discovers schemas, applies tenant filtering, and routes queries to appropriate regions. Setup takes 15-30 minutes.

What's the difference between CockroachDB and PostgreSQL?

CockroachDB advantages: Multi-region replication, automatic failover, geo-partitioning for compliance, strong consistency globally

PostgreSQL advantages: Simpler for single-region deployments, broader extension ecosystem

Choose CockroachDB when you need: Global distribution, data residency compliance, or 99.99%+ availability requirements.

How does multi-tenant data isolation work?

Multiple security layers: (1) DataBrain automatically adds tenant filters to queries, (2) CockroachDB Row-Level Security enforces isolation at database level, (3) Geo-partitioning provides physical data separation by region. This defense-in-depth approach ensures zero cross-tenant data leaks.

What does LOCALITY REGIONAL BY ROW mean?

CockroachDB's feature that automatically pins specific rows to geographic regions based on a column value. EU tenant data stays in EU nodes, US data in US nodes—ensuring regulatory compliance by design. DataBrain leverages this for automatic low-latency query routing.

How much does it cost?

CockroachDB Cloud: Free tier available, Standard ~$0.50/vCPU/hour + $0.15/GB storage/month

DataBrain: Platform + feature based pricing (see pricing page), no per-query markup

Typical savings: 30-40% less than maintaining separate regional PostgreSQL clusters with custom dashboard infrastructure.

Can I migrate from PostgreSQL without downtime?

Yes. Use Change Data Capture (CDC) to sync PostgreSQL → CockroachDB in real-time, run shadow queries for testing, then switch writes to CockroachDB. DataBrain migration is seamless—add CockroachDB as a new data source, clone dashboards, test, and switch. Typical migration: 2-4 weeks.

Does CockroachDB support all PostgreSQL features?

CockroachDB supports ~95% of PostgreSQL features relevant for analytics: standard SQL queries, JOINs, GROUP BY, window functions, indexes, foreign keys, materialized views. Most DataBrain queries work identically on both. See compatibility details.

Is CockroachDB strongly consistent or eventually consistent?

Strongly consistent. Unlike other distributed databases (Cassandra, DynamoDB), CockroachDB guarantees ACID transactions with serializable isolation globally. Every dashboard shows the same data simultaneously across all regions—no stale data issues.

How do I ensure GDPR compliance?

1. Use LOCALITY REGIONAL BY ROW to pin EU data to EU regions
2. Enable audit logging in CockroachDB and DataBrain
3. Implement data retention policies
4. Use SSL/TLS encryption (default)

DataBrain's tenant filtering + CockroachDB's geo-partitioning ensures compliance by design.

What regions does CockroachDB support?

AWS: 20+ regions including us-east-1, eu-west-1, ap-southeast-1
GCP: 15+ regions including us-central1, europe-west1
Azure: 10+ regions including East US, West Europe

Self-hosted CockroachDB can deploy anywhere. Full region list.

Can I use CockroachDB for real-time analytics?

Yes. CockroachDB delivers P95 < 50ms query latency for properly indexed queries, 10,000+ inserts/second per node, and sub-second dashboard refresh. Ideal for live event streaming, real-time KPIs, user behavior analytics, and operational dashboards.

How does performance compare to ClickHouse and PostgreSQL?

CockroachDB: Best for transactional + analytical (mixed workload), multi-region, strong consistency

ClickHouse: 10-100x faster for pure analytical (OLAP) at massive scale, columnar storage

PostgreSQL: Simpler for single-region transactional workloads

Best practice: Use CockroachDB for distributed transactional + moderate analytics. Add ClickHouse for high-volume event analytics. DataBrain connects to both in a single dashboard.

Next Steps: Get Started with CockroachDB + DataBrain

Ready to deliver globally compliant, low-latency embedded analytics?

Start Building Today

1. Start a Free Trial

• Sign up for DataBrain (no credit card required)
• Create CockroachDB Cloud cluster (free tier available)
• Connect and build your first dashboard in 15 minutes

2. Talk to Our Team

• Schedule a consultation
• Get guidance on multi-region deployment strategy
• Review your data residency requirements
• Design optimal tenant isolation for your use case

3. Explore Resources

• DataBrain Documentation
• CockroachDB Documentation

Start Using DataBrain Today

• Embed analytics in your product with globally distributed CockroachDB
• Empower users with low-latency dashboards served from their nearest data center
• Build less, deliver more with automatic multi-region replication and compliance

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