1. A data processing method for distributed categorization, comprising: receiving, on a distributed computing system comprising a plurality of computing nodes, interaction data describing at least one interaction between parties, the at least one interaction including an exchange of information between parties; wherein the at least one interaction occurred across two or more different communications channels; and wherein the interaction data is received from the two or more different communications channels; splitting the interaction data from each interaction into two or more interaction data segments, each interaction data segment including a type of interaction data, wherein if more than one agent is represented in an interaction, each agent is represented in a separate data segment; assigning an interaction identifier to each of the two or more interaction data segments, the same interaction identifier being assigned to data segments associated with the same interaction; assigning a different segment identifier to each of the two or more interaction data segments associated with the same interaction; distributing the received interaction data across the plurality of computing nodes by transmitting each of the two or more interaction data segments to a different one of at least two or more computing nodes of the plurality of computing nodes; defining a plurality of schemas including characteristics of a type of interaction data, wherein the schemas are organized hierarchically so that schemas inherit common characteristics from schemas that are higher in hierarchy; applying, via parallel processing, one or more categorization rules from a rule engine based on a schema of the interaction data type, to each segment of the two or more interaction data segments on each respective computing node of the plurality of computing nodes, thereby assigning to each segment of the two or more interaction data segments a category; assigning to each interaction, via parallel processing, one or more categories; and after applying rules, storing each segment of the two or more segments and the assigned category in a distributed memory system in a table indexed by interaction identifier and segment identifier.