This document discusses building fast data applications with streaming data. It begins by outlining common fast data application patterns like real-time analytics, data pipelines, and fast request/response. It then contrasts streaming approaches like Storm with database approaches like VoltDB. The document argues that streaming operators often require state, which databases can provide through metadata tables and session state tables. It presents VoltDB as a solution that can handle real-time analytics, request/response decisions, and data pipelines with its export functionality to move data to data lakes and OLAP systems.