In today’s day and age, data aggregation and analysis form the core of any business that operates online. So, it’s more important to have a secure and capable data management system in place. One of the recent advancements in this front is data fabric. What exactly is data fabric and how can it modernize your company?
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Data Fabric explained
Before one can begin to process the far-reaching impacts of this latest technology, one needs to have a basic understanding of what the term means. So, what is data fabric? A data fabric in simple terms is an all-in-one data architecture that makes use of a series of data sets spread across different platforms to optimize the process of decision making. It deftly combines both human and machine capabilities, in ways that were hitherto incomprehensible.
To understand the concept of a data fabric better, it’s likened to that of a self-driving car. What a self-driving car does for the driver using state-of-the-art technology, data fabric does to business owners and tech companies. In both cases, multiple factors are taken into consideration to ensure the best-case scenario for the user.
A self-driving car would probably take into account the speed of the vehicle, fuel left, and comfort of the passengers, whereas data fabric keeps an eye on data pipelines, rectifying them then and there if the need arises.
Why are more firms opting for data fabric?
One of the data trends that seems to be experiencing a surge in popularity is data fabric as a significant number of companies are choosing to upgrade to data fabric for all the right reasons. They are better than the traditional systems of data management on every front. Some of the distinct advantages include:
1) Data fabric help to make better decisions backed by logic and hard facts as opposed to intuition and faith
2) Data fabric aims to automatize the process of data collection, so data scientists now don’t have to waste their precious time and resources on mind-numbing and monotonous activities like tabulating data or creating infographic charts. Thus, it also helps to minimize human error
3) Since everyone involved in the process (data engineers and consumers) share a common language, it’s much easier to communicate and work together towards a common goal
4) Integrating data fabric into a business ultimately leads to improved customer service, at a fraction of the cost of the traditional data management systems
What makes up a comprehensive data fabric system?
Now that the question, “What is data fabric?” has been sufficiently explained, the next objective is to understand what makes a comprehensive data fabric system. While there are a number of key pillars that warrant merit, some of the more important ones of them include:
1) Ability to collect and analyze data
Like it was mentioned earlier, a data fabric does serve the basic functions of data collection and analysis. So, the prerequisite is for a mechanism to be in place that can sort through all types of data and make sense of it.
2) Should possess the means to convert passive data to active data
Now that data has been collected, the next integral step is to convert it into active metadata by analyzing it constantly with a set of basic metrics in place. It will also need to possess the ability to depict the said data in a graph to make the data easier to process even for a layman.
Moreover, data fabrics do also come with a unique ability to make predictions regarding the future with reasonable accuracy. The aim is to arm the user of the program with semantic information so that they’re in a better position to make an informed decision that could make or break the business.
3) Have a well-rounded data integration backbone
The data management system in question needs to be accessible to all types of data users (IT professionals and businessmen). It will also need to be compatible with the different data delivery styles that exist (ETL favored by data engineers, messaging, and newer modalities like streaming).
Key takeaways for companies looking to integrate data fabric with their system
● Popular media has created the conception that data fabric is simply a mix of old and newer methods of data analysis. But, in reality, data fabric is an entire architectural concept that combines the best of both human and machine worlds
● Some major developments have changed the face of data fabric as it continues to get better and better with time. So, various advanced tech like semantics, machine learning, and metadata management systems will be required to perfect the design of the data fabric system
Conclusion
Data fabric is a completely integrated data management system that works on different landscapes like hybrid and multi-cloud platforms. It aims to optimize the process of decision-making by taking multiple data sets into consideration. In addition, data fabric reduces human error by automating the entire process of data collection. With the ability to offer better customer experiences at reduced costs, it’s a more attractive option to traditional data management systems.