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A Short Guide to Data Warehousing and Hadoop

March 16, 2023

Data warehousing with Hadoop is a strategy for data storage that allows businesses to effectively manage and analyze large amounts of structured and unstructured data. It is based on the open-source Apache Hadoop software framework, one of the many data warehouse tools that provide an efficient way to process large datasets across multiple computers. Data warehousing with Hadoop has become increasingly popular due to its scalability and cost-effectiveness.

A data warehouse architecture should be distinguished from other forms of data storage. For example, when it comes to data lake vs. data warehouse, there are essential differentiators to be aware of. What is a data lake? A data lake is a storage repository that holds a vast amount of raw data in its native format until it is needed. A simple data warehousing definition describes, by contrast, a system used for reporting and analysis, which involves collecting data from multiple sources within an organization and using it to create analytical reports. A data warehouse is also distinct from a database. When it comes to a data warehouse vs. a database, a data warehouse is designed for analysis. A database, on the other hand, stores current or real-time data and supports transactions such as inserts, updates, and deletes.

The following shows the evolution of data warehouses:

Source: Snowflake Solutions

Data Warehouse vs. Hadoop

We have already covered some of the differences when it comes to the data warehouse vs. data lake comparison. Furthermore, we have answered the question, “what is a data warehouse?”. Hadoop is an open-source software framework that enables distributed processing of large datasets across clusters of computers using simple programming models. This framework can be used to build data warehouse automation features and is designed to scale up from single servers to thousands of machines, each offering local computation and storage. 

Data warehouse automation refers to the process by which organizations automate their existing or new data warehouses in order to improve efficiency and reduce costs associated with manual processes. Automation can include tasks such as creating tables, loading data into them, running queries against them, or performing ETL (extract-transform-load) operations on them. Data warehouse solutions provide organizations with an efficient way to store their structured information in one place so that it can be accessed easily for analysis purposes. These solutions also allow for scalability so that businesses can expand their capabilities as needed without having to start over from scratch every time they need more capacity or functionality. 

Hadoop Data Warehouse Architecture

A Hadoop data warehouse architecture is a distributed data storage system that allows for the efficient processing of large amounts of data. Hadoop can be used to create data warehouse automation features and data warehouse solutions that improve the functionality of data analysis. This can be achieved through the Hadoop architecture, a framework for distributed storage and processing of big data based on simple programming models. The Hadoop architecture is made up of three main components, HDFS (Hadoop Distributed File System), Hadoop MapReduce, and Hadoop YARN (Yet Another Resource Negotiator). 

A Hadoop ecosystem can be used for more than just a data warehouse. A Hadoop data lake enables organizations to store structured or unstructured data in its native format without any transformation or schema enforcement. When it comes to Hadoop vs. data warehouse options, Hadoop-powered data warehouses are the clear superior. Hadoop uses NoSQL databases to provide more flexibility when it comes to storing different types of information. Furthermore, Hadoop’s distributed computing model enables far greater speeds than traditional data warehouses. 

You may have heard of a Hive Data Warehouse. Hive is an open-source SQL-like query language used for querying large datasets stored in HDFS (the underlying file system used by Apache Hadoop). Some organizations prefer to use Hive for its ease of use and speed. 

Is Hadoop A Database?

Because Hadoop often comes up in the data storage conversation, many people wonder, is Hadoop a database? No, Hadoop is not a database but an open-source software framework for distributed storage and processing of large datasets on clusters of computers. 

However, there are Hadoop-powered databases. A Hadoop database example would be an Apache Hive database based on the Hadoop file system. Hadoop NoSQL is a type of non-relational database that runs on top of the Hadoop platform and allows users to store and process unstructured data at scale.

The Hadoop vs. database comparison is critical. The main difference between Hadoop and traditional databases is that while databases are designed for structured data, Hadoop can handle both structured and unstructured data more efficiently than traditional databases due to its distributed computing architecture. 

Then, there is the Hadoop vs. NoSQL debate. Traditional NoSQL databases are limited in that they are designed primarily to focus on unstructured data. Hadoop databases support both structured and unstructured data. So, is Hadoop a NoSQL database? Yes. a Hadoop database does use a NoSQL language. 

What is a NoSQL database? Simply put, a NoSQL database is any database that is based on a NoSQL querying language. You might also be wondering, is Spark a database? No, Apache Spark is an open-source distributed computing platform that can be used for data processing, analytics, and machine learning. It is not a database. This is the same answer to the question, “is Hadoop a data warehouse?”. Hadoop is a framework, not a database.

Apache Data Warehouse

Apache is another name commonly brought up in data management conversations. Apache Data Warehouse is an open-source data warehouse platform that enables organizations to store and manage large amounts of structured and unstructured data. Apache Data Warehouse Tools are a suite of tools used for managing, analyzing, and transforming data in the Apache Data Warehouse environment. These tools include Hive, Pig, Sqoop, Flume, Oozie, HBase, and more. 

Apache Druid is an open-source distributed real-time analytics system designed for fast analysis of streaming data from sources such as weblogs or sensor networks. It provides low latency query processing capabilities with high scalability on commodity hardware clusters. 

Apache Hive is an open-source data warehousing tool built on top of Hadoop that allows users to easily analyze large datasets stored in HDFS using SQL-like queries called HiveQL (Hive Query Language). An Apache Hive Tutorial provides step-by-step instructions on how to use the various features available in the Hive framework, including creating databases and tables, loading data into tables, and crafting queries. 

Apache Kylin is a distributed OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) engine designed to provide interactive analysis over massive datasets in near real-time speeds while still providing accurate results at scale with low latency response times for business intelligence applications such as reporting dashboards or ad hoc exploration tasks.

Apache Spark is an open-source cluster computing framework designed for fast computation across a wide range of workloads, including batch processing, machine learning algorithms, streaming applications, and more. Open Source Data Warehouse Apache offers organizations the ability to store their structured and unstructured datasets securely within their own infrastructure while leveraging powerful analytics capabilities provided by its suite of tools.

A Spark Data Warehouse provides businesses with a comprehensive solution for storing & managing big data sets through its integration with popular frameworks like Hadoop and Cassandra. 

Is Hive A Data Warehouse

What is Apache Hive? Two other common questions connected with Apache Hive are: 1) “Is Hive a Data Warehouse?” and 2) “Is Hive A database?”. The answer to the second question is no. Hive is not a database but rather a data warehouse system built on top of Hadoop. The Hive architecture consists of two main components: the metastore and the execution engine. The metastore stores metadata about tables, partitions, and schemas in a relational database such as MySQL or Postgresql, while the execution engine compiles queries into MapReduce jobs that are executed by Hadoop. 

When it comes to Hive vs. Hadoop, Hive is simply an abstraction layer over Hadoop, providing SQL-like querying capabilities to process large datasets stored in HDFS, the Hadoop file system. This answers the question, “what is Hive in Hadoop?”. 

If you’re comparing Hive vs. Spark, Apache Spark is an open-source cluster computing framework designed to be fast and flexible. This is distinct from other frameworks like Apache Hive, which was explicitly developed for batch-processing tasks in big data environments with its own SQL-like language. 

Optimize Your Hadoop Environment

Acceldata offers a flexible, cost-effective and highly optimized solution for Hadoop that gives you options to remain on premises or migrate to cloud warehouses of your choice. Learn more about how Acceldata supports Hadoop.

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