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Data lake vs Data Warehouse – Key Difference Explained

Data Lake vs Data Warehouse

In the ever evolving world of data management, 2 main terms that pop up are : data lake & data warehouse. While these might seem similar, they are actually not, & it’s because the data storage solutions in them serve distinct purposes & offer unique benefits of data warehouse & data warehouse with differences.

So, let’s dive in to be sure about the information regarding these data management related pop ups & even know how to store, manage, and analyze their data.

Here, we will be covering:

  • What is Data Lake?
  • What is Data Warehouse?
  • What is the Primary Purpose of a Data Warehouse & Data Lake?
  • Key Differences: Data Lake vs Data Warehouse
  • Conclusion

What is Data Lake?

This is a centralized repository that allows you to store all your structured as well as unstructured data at any scale. With this, you can store your data without even analyzing the appropriate structure. With this, there are a few characteristics that everyone should know, like:

  • Storage Type: Raw, unprocessed data.
  • Data Type: Supports all data types, i.e., structured, unstructured, and semi-structured.
  • Scalability: Highly Scalable.
  • Schema: Schema-on-Read.

What is a Data Warehouse?

This is an integrated data repository with one or more qualities that is centralized. This involves keeping all of the company’s past and present data in one location, which is then utilized to generate analytical reports for employees across the board. The characteristics of this type include:

  • Storage Type: Processed, Refined Data.
  • Data Type: Primarily Structured Data.
  • Scalability: Scalable, But With Predefined Limits.
  • Schema: Schema-on-Write.

What is the Primary Purpose of Data Warehouse & Data Lake?

Data Lake: This is designed in such a way to store vast amounts of raw data in it’s native format. The choice of data lake would be a plus for data scientists & engineers who need to perform deep analysis.

Data Warehouse: This is the structured storage meant for fast querying & reporting. This mainly benefits business analysts.

Key Differences: Data Lake vs Data Warehouse

S.No. Differences Data Lake Data Warehouse
1 Data types It accommodates all types of data, including logs, images, videos, & many more. Primarily designed to handle structured data.
2 Schema Defines schema only when data is read. Defines schema only when data is written.
3 Data Processing Processes data when it’s in its raw form. Processes data after it has been cleaned & transformed.
4 Storage Cost Typically cheaper due to the use of low cost storage solutions. More expensive due to the need for high performance storage & processing.
5 Data Structure Supports raw as well as unprocessed data. Stores processed, cleaned, & structured data.
6 Security This type of data can be less secure if not properly managed due to the volume & variety of the data. Generally more secure with robust access controls & adulting capabilities.
7 Future Trends Moving towards data lakehouse models combines the appropriate features of data lakes & data warehouses. Continuously improves the performance & integration capabilities with various data sources.
9 Maintenance Requires the best ongoing maintenance to ensure data quality & manage storage. Requires maintenance but is more straightforward due to structured data.
9 Data Governance It is challenging to implement due to the volume & variety of data. Easier to implement with established data governance policies.
10 Data Management Requires complex management to handle the diverse types of data. It is easier to manage because it deals with structured data.
11 Latency Typically have high latency for analytics & processing. Lower the latency, by providing quicker insights from data.

Conclusion

Understanding the differences between data lakes & data warehouses is really crucial for selecting the right data management solution. Other than this, the detail will give you the idea that if you complete your work process through this, then you will get many advantages that will offer you the best of everything.

But still, if you are looking for more detail, you can get in touch with us now, & our team will provide assistance in the best way possible.

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