Book suggestions
Last updated: September 8, 2025
Note: I will keep this list updated. So make sure to bookmark this page or revisit it regularly.
What does it take to become a modern data engineer? Ironically, one of the oldest mediums we have for gaining knowledge: Books.
Obviously, not exclusively, but books play an integral role in the education of top-notch engineers. Why?
As you probably remember, I’m a big proponent of getting a deep understanding of the fundamentals instead of shallow knowledge of some tools.
Tools come and go, the fundamentals stay for years, decades, or even your entire career.
Before we dive into the list, let’s quickly talk about what the best book for modern data engineers is.
What is the best book for modern data engineers?
Some would maybe point to authors like Ralph Kimball, Bill Inmon, or Joe Reis and their all-time classics.
But that’s totally wrong. Not because these books are not great, but because it depends heavily on the existing knowledge of the reader.
A person with a very strong technical knowledge may benefit more from a book like Storytelling with Data than one of those data warehouse masterpieces.
So, in short: There’s no single best book.
You need to find what helps you the most.
Nevertheless, one thing I can recommend. Focus on the fundamentals instead of specific tools (or even certain versions of those).
A book called A quick guide on Databricks 16.4 will probably be outdated when you get your hands on it. It will also mainly touch the surface. Most likely, you’re better off reading the docs.
On the other hand, books like Database Internals give you deeper understanding of databases. Something every data engineer needs.
Technical Book Suggestions
Fundamentals of Data Engineering by Joe Reis & Matt Housley
Database Internals by Alex Petrov
The Data Warehouse Toolkit: The Definitive Guide to Dimensional Modeling by Ralph Kimball & Margy Ross
Building the Data Warehouse by William H. Inmon
Working Effectively with Legacy Code by Michael C. Feathers
Designing Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann
General/Non-Tech Book Suggestions
Data Impact by Ritavan
Storytelling with Data by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic
Hal Moore on Leadership by Harold G. Moore & Mike Guardia
How To Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willick & Leif Babin
The Pragmatic Programmer by David Thomas & Andrew Hunt
Clean Coder by Robert C. Martin
So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport
Deep Work by Cal Newport
Mastery by George Leonard