The Data Lake — According to Microsoft and Amazon Web Services, A data lake is a centralized repository that allows you to store all your structured and unstructured data at any scale. It’s a storage repository that can rapidly ingest large amounts of raw data in its native format. The data can be stored as-is without having to structure it first and run different types of analytics—from dashboards and visualizations to big data processing, real-time analytics, and machine learning to guide better decisions.
Data lakes can accommodate all types of data from any source, from structured (database tables, Excel sheets) to semi-structured (XML files, webpages) to unstructured (images, audio files, tweets), all without sacrificing fidelity. The data files are typically stored in staged zones—raw, cleansed, and curated—so that different types of users may use the data in various forms to meet their needs.
Data lakes are essential for businesses as they provide core data consistency across various applications, powering big data analytics, machine learning, predictive analytics, and other forms of intelligent action. They enable organizations to generate different types of…
