Elusion ๐ฆ DataFrame Library for Everybody!

Elusion is a high-performance DataFrame library, for in-memory data formats (CSV, JSON, PARQUET, DELTA). Built on top of DataFusion SQL query engine, for managing and querying data using a DataFrame-like interface. Designed for developers who need a powerful abstraction over data transformations, Elusion simplifies complex operations such as filtering, joining, aggregating, and more with an intuitive, chainable API.
Motivation
DataFusion SQL engine has great potential in Data Engineering / Data Analytics world, but I believe that design choices for SQL and DataFrame API do not resemble popular DataFrame solutions out there, and I am here to narrow this gap, and creating easily chainable constructs for anybody to use and understand.
Key Features
๐ High-Performance DataFrame Operations
- Load and process data from CSV, PARQUET, JSON, DELTA table files with ease.
- Perform SQL-like transformations such as
SELECT,AGG,JOINFILTER,GROUP BY, andWINDOW.
๐ Aggregations and Analytics
- Built-in support for Aggregated functions like
SUM,AVG,MEAN,MEDIAN,MIN,COUNT,MAXand more. - Advanced Scalar Math functions like
ABS,FLOOR,CEIL,SQRT,ISNAN,ISZERO,PI,POWERand more.
๐ Flexible Joins
- Join tables with various join types (
INNER,LEFT,RIGHT,FULL, etc.). - Intuitive syntax for specifying join conditions and aliases.
๐ช Window Functions
- Add analytical window functions like
RANK,DENSE_RANK,ROW_NUMBER, and custom partition-based calculations.
๐งน Clean Query Construction
- Construct readable and reusable SQL queries.
- Support for Common Table Expressions (CTEs), subqueries, and set operations (
UNION,INTERSECT,EXCEPT).
๐ ๏ธ Easy-to-Use API
-
Chainable and intuitive API for building queries.
-
Readable debug output of generated SQL for verification.
-
Data Preview: Preview your data easily by displaying a subset of rows in the terminal.
-
Composable Queries: Chain transformations seamlessly to build reusable and testable workflows.
Installation
To add Elusion to your Rust project, include the following lines in your Cargo.toml under [dependencies]:
= "0.5.1"
= { = "1.42.0", = ["rt-multi-thread"] }
Rust version needed
>= 1.81
Usage examples:
MAIN function
use *; // Import everything needed
async
Schema
SCHEMA IS AUTOMATICALLY INFERED since v0.2.5
LOADING Files into CustomDataFrame
File extensions are automatically recognized
All you have to do is to provide path to your file
Currently supported data files: CSV, PARQUET, JSON, DELTA
let csv_data = "C:\\Borivoj\\RUST\\Elusion\\sales_data.csv";
let parquet_path = "C:\\Borivoj\\RUST\\Elusion\\prod_data.parquet";
let json_path = "C:\\Borivoj\\RUST\\Elusion\\db_data.json";
let delta_path = "C:\\Borivoj\\RUST\\Elusion\\agg_sales"; // for DELTA you just specify folder name without extension
Creating CustomDataFrame
2 arguments needed: Path, Table Alias
let df_sales = new.await?;
let df_customers = new.await?;
RULE of thumb:
ALL Column names and Dataframe alias names, will be LOWERCASE(), TRIM(), REPLACE(" ", "_"), regardles of how you write it, or how they are writen in CSV file.
Aggregation column Aliases will be LOWERCASE() regardles of how you write it.
ALIAS column names in SELECT() function (AS is case insensitive)
let customers_alias = df_customers
.select;
Numerical Operators (supported +, -, * , / , %)
let num_ops_sales = sales_order_df.clone
.select
.filter
.order_by
.limit;
let num_ops_res = num_ops_sales.elusion.await?;
num_ops_res.display.await?;
FILTERING
let filter_df = sales_order_df
.select
.filter
//OR USE .filter_many([("order_date > '2021-07-04'"), ("billable_value > 100.0")])
.order_by
.limit;
let filtered = filter_df.elusion.await?;
filtered.display.await?;
SCALAR functions
let scalar_df = sales_order_df
.select
.filter
.order_by
.limit;
let scalar_res = scalar_df.elusion.await?;
scalar_res.display.await?;
AGGREGATE functions with nested Scalaar functions and oper
let scalar_df = sales_order_df.clone
.select
.agg
.group_by
.filter
.order_by
.limit;
let scalar_res = scalar_df.elusion.await?;
scalar_res.display.await?;
MIX of NUmerical Operators, Scalar Functions, Aggregated Functions...
let mix_query = sales_order_df
.select
.agg
.filter
.group_by
.order_by_many
.limit;
let mix_res = mix_query.elusion.await?;
mix_res.display.await?;
Supported Aggregation functions
SUM, AVG, MEAN, MEDIAN, MIN, COUNT, MAX,
LAST_VALUE, FIRST_VALUE,
GROUPING, STRING_AGG, ARRAY_AGG, VAR, VAR_POP,
VAR_POPULATION, VAR_SAMP, VAR_SAMPLE,
BIT_AND, BIT_OR, BIT_XOR, BOOL_AND, BOOL_OR
Supported Scalar Math Functions
ABS, FLOOR, CEIL, SQRT, ISNAN, ISZERO,
PI, POW, POWER, RADIANS, RANDOM, ROUND,
FACTORIAL, ACOS, ACOSH, ASIN, ASINH,
COS, COSH, COT, DEGREES, EXP,
SIN, SINH, TAN, TANH, TRUNC, CBRT,
ATAN, ATAN2, ATANH, GCD, LCM, LN,
LOG, LOG10, LOG2, NANVL, SIGNUM
JOINs
JOIN example with 2 dataframes
let single_join = df_sales
.join
.select
.agg
.group_by
.having
.order_by // true is ascending, false is descending
.limit;
let join_df1 = single_join.elusion.await?;
join_df1.display.await?;
JOIN with 3 dataframes, AGGREGATION, GROUP BY, HAVING, SELECT, ORDER BY
let many_joins = df_sales
.join_many
.select
.agg
.group_by
.having_many
.order_by_many
.limit;
let join_df3 = many_joins.elusion.await?;
join_df3.display.await?;
currently implemented join types
"INNER", "LEFT", "RIGHT", "FULL",
"LEFT SEMI", "RIGHT SEMI",
"LEFT ANTI", "RIGHT ANTI", "LEFT MARK"
WINDOW function
let window_query = df_sales
.join
.select
.window
.window
.limit;
let window_df = window_query.elusion.await?;
window_df.display.await?;
JSON files
Currently supported files can include: Arrays, Objects. Best usage if you can make it flat ("key":"value")
for JSON, all field types are infered to VARCHAR/TEXT/STRING
// example json structure
let json_path = "C:\\Borivoj\\RUST\\Elusion\\test.json";
let json_df = new.await?;
// example json structure
let json_path = "C:\\Borivoj\\RUST\\Elusion\\test2.json";
let json_df = new.await?;
WRITERS
Writing to Parquet File
We have 2 writing modes: Overwrite and Append
// overwrite existing file
result_df
.write_to_parquet
.await
.expect;
// append to exisiting file
result_df
.write_to_parquet
.await
.expect;
Writing to CSV File
CSV Writing options are mandatory
has_headers: TRUE is dynamically set for Overwrite mode, and FALSE for Append mode.
let custom_csv_options = CsvWriteOptions ;
We have 2 writing modes: Overwrite and Append
// overwrite existing file
result_df
.write_to_csv
.await
.expect;
// append to exisiting file
result_df
.write_to_csv
.await
.expect;
Writing to DELTA table / lake
We can write to delta in 2 modes Overwrite and Append
Partitioning column is optional
DISCLAIMER: if you decide to use column for partitioning, make sure that you don't need that column as you wont be able to read it back to dataframe
DISCLAIMER 2: once you decide to use partitioning column for writing your delta table, if you want to APPEND to it, Append also need to have same column for partitioning
// Overwrite
result_df
.write_to_delta_table
.await
.expect;
// Append
result_df
.write_to_delta_table
.await
.expect;
License
Elusion is distributed under the MIT License. However, since it builds upon DataFusion, which is distributed under the Apache License 2.0, some parts of this project are subject to the terms of the Apache License 2.0. For full details, see the LICENSE.txt file.
Acknowledgments
This library leverages the power of Rust's type system and libraries like DataFusion , Arrow for efficient query processing. Special thanks to the open-source community for making this project possible.
๐ง Disclaimer: Under Development ๐ง
This crate is currently under active development and testing. It is not considered stable or ready for production use.
We are actively working to improve the features, performance, and reliability of this library. Breaking changes might occur between versions as we continue to refine the API and functionality.
If you want to contribute or experiment with the crate, feel free to do so, but please be aware of the current limitations and evolving nature of the project.
Thank you for your understanding and support!
Where you can find me:
LindkedIn - LinkedIn YouTube channel - YouTube Udemy Instructor - Udemy