# Why Topic Views?

As Kafka usage grows, different teams and consumers need their own representation of the same topic. This short walkthrough covers where each tool fits, and when a read-time topic view is the simpler answer.

## What You'll Learn

- When a Kafka Connect SMT, Kafka Streams, or Flink is the right tool
- Why a per-consumer slice of an existing topic falls between them
- How topic views give a filtered, projected view at read time, with no copy