Big data analytics
Big data analytics is the often complex process of examining big data to uncover information -- such as hidden patterns, correlations, market trends and customer preferences -- that can help organizations make informed business decisions.. See complete definition.
Top Stories
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Feature
21 Nov 2022
What makes up an analytics pipeline?
Analytics pipelines were traditionally hidden away, but they're changing as more organizations focus on agility for their data. Learn what makes up a successful analytics pipeline. Continue Reading
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Tip
25 Jan 2022
Evaluate GPU vs. CPU for data analytics tasks
As data analytics becomes more commonplace, you might wonder what processor best suits such complex tasks. The CPU and GPU specialize in different tasks but excel together. Continue Reading
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Tip
25 Jan 2022
Evaluate GPU vs. CPU for data analytics tasks
As data analytics becomes more commonplace, you might wonder what processor best suits such complex tasks. The CPU and GPU specialize in different tasks but excel together. Continue Reading
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News
16 Dec 2021
Bigeye brings new visibility to data observability
The startup continues to build out its cloud platform that enables data engineers to identify and remediate data pipeline quality and availability problems. Continue Reading
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News
16 Nov 2021
Alluxio accelerates data orchestration, raises $50M
Connecting disparate sources of data for analytics and machine learning gets faster in the vendor's latest platform update, released alongside a Series C funding round. Continue Reading
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Tip
11 Nov 2021
Business shift to a data monetization strategy elevates CDOs
As their focus dramatically swings from compliance issues to data monetization, chief data officers are on track to take their rightful place among C-level executives, but slowly. Continue Reading
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Quiz
31 Aug 2021
Quiz: Test your understanding of the Hadoop ecosystem
This quiz will test your knowledge of Hadoops basics including framework, capabilities and related technologies. Continue Reading
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Quiz
09 Aug 2021
Quiz: Big data analytics technologies and techniques
Big data analytics technologies and techniques can help you gain valuable business insights. Take this quiz to test your knowledge of big data analytics tools and best practices. Continue Reading
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Opinion
30 Jul 2021
Successful digital transformation strategies start with data
Data has become a natural resource essential to business ops. Companies need to consider four digital transformation elements when developing strategies to harness data. Continue Reading
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Tip
19 Jul 2021
An introduction to big data in the cloud
As enterprises add big data projects in the cloud, IT admins need to adjust their skills accordingly. Dive into this comprehensive guide to see what makes a cloud shift so attractive. Continue Reading
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News
01 Jul 2021
Eckerson Group unveils service to benchmark analytics
Consulting firm Eckerson Group recently developed an assessment for the insurance industry to help companies compare their analytics programs with their peers. Continue Reading
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Feature
30 Jun 2021
Top 5 benefits of augmented analytics
Learn how augmented analytics helps make companies more agile by expanding employee access to data and speeding the decision-making process -- all while saving costs. Continue Reading
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Feature
24 Jun 2021
Does hiring a freelance data scientist make sense for you?
Enterprises need to make the right hiring choices when it comes to supporting their data projects. Here are some reasons your company may or may not consider hiring a freelancer. Continue Reading
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Feature
10 Jun 2021
The next generation data scientist
The data scientist role continues to evolve as AI takes hold and domain knowledge becomes paramount. Explore the skills and expectations required for the future data scientist. Continue Reading
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Feature
27 May 2021
Utah agency tracks wildlife data with Google analytics tools
Tools from the Google Cloud Platform enabled the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources to manage the growing amount of data that overwhelmed its on-premises system. Continue Reading
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Definition
21 May 2021
unstructured data
Unstructured data is information, in many different forms, that doesn't follow conventional data models, making it difficult to store and manage in a mainstream relational database. Continue Reading
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News
18 May 2021
SAS analytics platform adds native support for AWS, GCP
SAS unveils cloud-native support for AWS and Google Cloud during SAS Global Forum, the vendor's virtual user conference. SAS introduced similar support for Microsoft Azure in 2020. Continue Reading
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Feature
07 May 2021
Data scientist job outlook in post-pandemic world
There was a lull in hiring for one of the hottest jobs in the U.S., but as lockdowns start to lift and offices start to reopen, the data scientist job outlook is changing. Continue Reading
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Feature
19 Apr 2021
Top 7 big data courses for 2021
Building new big data skills can be beneficial for professionals of all types -- from aspiring data scientists to current big data workers and business executives. Continue Reading
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Feature
09 Apr 2021
Air Force's data overhaul makes analytics a priority
With its data locked in legacy systems that didn't communicate with one another, in 2017 the Air Force started to overhaul of its BI stack to enable data-driven decision-making. Continue Reading
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Feature
01 Apr 2021
A history and timeline of big data
Milestones that led to today's big data revolution -- from 1600s' statistical analysis to the first programmable computer in the 40s to the internet, Hadoop, IoT, AI and more. Continue Reading
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Feature
26 Mar 2021
A look at the DataOps engineer role and responsibilities
DataOps engineers and data engineers are often conflated, but they have separate, distinct responsibilities. Take a look at what differentiates the emerging role. Continue Reading
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News
24 Mar 2021
Incorta 5 advances direct data mapping technology
The big data analytics platform vendor will add more data connectors and advance data visualization capabilities as enterprises' need for more insights from data continues to grow. Continue Reading
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Quiz
17 Mar 2021
What do you know about graph data analytics?
Graph database and analytics adoption has been trending in the last few years as their use cases continue to expand. Use this quiz to find out what you know about the technology. Continue Reading
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Feature
15 Mar 2021
Top 25 big data glossary terms you should know
Big data knowledge and awareness can help businesses and individuals get ahead. Understanding the most important terms in big data is an excellent place to start that journey. Continue Reading
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Feature
22 Feb 2021
Top 5 enterprise graph analytics use cases
Gartner expects enterprise graph analytics adoption to grow in the coming years. Read on to find out why the technology is on the rise across organizational markets. Continue Reading
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Feature
12 Feb 2021
Do you need a data warehouse for business intelligence?
Some organizations have moved away from using data warehouses in their business intelligence strategies. Read on to find out how approaches to data storage for BI are changing. Continue Reading
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Feature
03 Feb 2021
Decision intelligence software boosted by analytics, AI
Enterprise adoption of decision intelligence is projected to grow in the next few years. Find out how analytics and AI support decision modeling and how organizations are using it. Continue Reading
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Feature
22 Jan 2021
Why using graph analytics for big data is on the rise
Graph analytics is being used across industries for different reasons. Read on to see how they can improve organizational decision-making, network analysis, production and more. Continue Reading
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Feature
15 Jan 2021
Key differences in uses of DataOps vs. DevOps
As with DevOps, DataOps hinges on cooperation between teams and breaking down silos within an organization with the focus of implementing and maintaining a data architecture. Continue Reading
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Feature
06 Jan 2021
DataOps engineer an emerging role in analytics
As organizations accumulate more data and realize the need to implement a DataOps strategy, they are now seeking DataOps specialists to help implement and oversee data management. Continue Reading
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Feature
18 Dec 2020
Analytics in real estate thrive in the commercial market
Data can drive everything from investment to redevelopment in the commercial real estate spaces, and analytics will continue to lead change in the industry. Continue Reading
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Definition
15 Dec 2020
correlation coefficient
A correlation coefficient is a statistical measure of the degree to which changes to the value of one variable predict change to the value of another. Continue Reading
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News
08 Dec 2020
SingleStore raises $80M for distributed SQL database
Raj Verma, CEO of SingleStore, explains why the vendor rebranded from MemSQL and how its platform is more than just an in-memory database, but is a general-purpose database. Continue Reading
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Feature
04 Dec 2020
The top 5 enterprise advanced analytics use cases
Advanced analytics adoption has been growing across industries. The technology has many growing use cases in enterprises, but these are the top five. Continue Reading
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Feature
04 Dec 2020
Collibra grows enterprise data governance for the cloud
Collibra CEO discusses the importance of data governance for enterprises and how to tie data governance to business terminology to go beyond simply controlling data. Continue Reading
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News
03 Dec 2020
Microsoft's Azure Synapse Analytics now generally available
After more than a year in preview, Microsoft's new analytics platform that brings together data integration, data warehousing and big data analysis is now generally available. Continue Reading
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Feature
25 Nov 2020
Event streaming technologies a remedy for big data's onslaught
Event streaming is emerging as a viable method to quickly analyze in real time the torrents of information pouring into collection systems from multiple data sources. Continue Reading
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Feature
23 Nov 2020
Big data vs. artificial intelligence: How they compare
Artificial intelligence can help synthesize and analyze the large volumes of information provided by big data initiatives. The two are different, but they work well together. Continue Reading
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Feature
11 Nov 2020
Brain teasers and other fun tips for learning Python
Learn about some interesting ways Python coders can grow their skills in the language and the importance of connecting and learning from others in the community. Continue Reading
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News
14 Oct 2020
Idera targets cloud data lake market with Qubole acquisition
Qubole joins the Idera Inc. group of software companies, bringing data pipeline capabilities into the group to target customers that need more cloud data storage. Continue Reading
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Feature
23 Sep 2020
Certificates important to the data science learning path
While data science certificates have value in the professional world, candidates must make them a piece of a larger drive for technical mastery and continued education. Continue Reading
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News
22 Sep 2020
Ahana releases managed Cloud for Presto service
New Ahana cloud system brings a managed service to market that integrates data management and visualization capabilities to aid in business intelligence and data analytics. Continue Reading
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Definition
31 Aug 2020
correlation
Correlation is a statistical measure that indicates the extent to which two or more variables fluctuate in relation to each other. Continue Reading
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Definition
31 Aug 2020
Apache Hadoop YARN
Apache Hadoop YARN is the resource management and job scheduling technology in the open source Hadoop distributed processing framework. Continue Reading
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Feature
27 Aug 2020
What makes up a strong data science team structure?
Enterprises rely on a strong data science team to get the most from their data. Read on to find out what talents you'll need to employ to support your organization's data. Continue Reading
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News
19 Aug 2020
New Qubole Pipelines Service targets streaming data
Data lake vendor Qubole unveiled a data pipeline service, a new tool designed to enable organizations to manage their increasing amounts of streaming data. Continue Reading
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Infographic
17 Aug 2020
Data scientist vs. data analyst: Comparing the 2 data roles
The differences can be subtle, but in general, a data scientist has more responsibilities and a more advanced background than analyst counterparts. Continue Reading
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Feature
12 Aug 2020
Using data for public good in fight for racial equity
While some data-driven methods recently have been publicly scrutinized for biases in practice, there are plenty of ways data can aid the fight for racial equity. Continue Reading
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Tip
29 Jul 2020
10 types of biases that affect customer data analysis
Analytics can help businesses make data-driven decisions, but common cognitive biases can skew how organizations interpret the information and CX. Continue Reading
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Feature
28 Jul 2020
Python exploratory data analysis and why it's important
Exploratory data analysis is a key step to building the best models to gain insight from your data. Read on to see how Python can be a useful tool in this process. Continue Reading
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Definition
16 Jul 2020
smart city
A smart city is a municipality that uses information and communication technologies (ICT) to increase operational efficiency, share information with the public and improve both the quality of government services and citizen welfare. Continue Reading
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News
14 Jul 2020
BigQuery Omni enables Google multi-cloud data analytics
Google BigQuery data analytics users can now query data across clouds from multiple providers, including AWS and Microsoft Azure, without the need to first move the data. Continue Reading
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Feature
02 Jul 2020
Overcoming the top 3 analytics adoption challenges
Analytics is a growing part of many businesses. Experts talk about some of the most pressing challenges enterprises may face when implementing new analytics strategies. Continue Reading
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Quiz
29 Jun 2020
Find out how smart you are about machine learning and AI
Machine learning can help businesses gain powerful analytics value from their data -- but only if it's done right. How much do you know about machine learning and related forms of AI? Continue Reading
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Feature
23 Jun 2020
What does Salesforce mean for Tableau AI features?
Tableau and Salesforce both offer AI features for their analytics tools. Experts talk about how the AI offerings from each platform can complement each other. Continue Reading
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Feature
12 Jun 2020
Data drives the decisions behind making movies
From the moment a script is submitted to the time a movie is released, analytics drive just about every decision made during the making of a feature film. Continue Reading
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Feature
08 Jun 2020
Benefits of embedded BI and customizable analytics
Depending on your data needs, embedded analytics from a BI platform or a more custom-built analytics framework may work. Read on for the benefits of each option. Continue Reading
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Feature
26 May 2020
Data science interview preparation: How to answer top questions
A successful interview for a data scientist position relies on the ability to effectively communicate and demonstrate your combined experiences and skills. Continue Reading
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Feature
20 May 2020
4 features of great data visualization and storytelling
Data visualization and storytelling go hand in hand when it comes to explaining data. Here are four ways to make sure you build and tell a strong data story for your audience. Continue Reading
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Feature
06 May 2020
Data scientist vs. machine learning engineer careers
There are many careers under the data science umbrella, including data scientist and machine learning engineer. But what's the difference between the two? Read on to find out. Continue Reading
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Feature
04 May 2020
Why organizations need IoT data scientists on their team
IoT is ratcheting up the stakes and creating new ways to use data, making IoT data scientists a necessity for organizations to maintain a competitive edge. Continue Reading
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Feature
14 Apr 2020
The COVID-19 impact on analytics professionals
The global pandemic has forced many businesses to make quick changes. The COVID-19 impact on analytics professionals makes them imperative to changing business goals. Continue Reading
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News
03 Apr 2020
Business data science teams need to be multi-disciplined, says Trainline
Sam Taylor, head of data science at Trainline, says four years of team building points to a need to be multi-disciplinary in pursuit of delivering value for customers Continue Reading
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News
02 Apr 2020
Covid-19 crisis shows fragility of food supply system
Food system is “incredibly interdependent, but also incredibly disconnected”, says Richard Tiffin, chief scientific officer at early-stage agricultural data company Agrimetrics Continue Reading
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Feature
24 Mar 2020
COVID-19 data resources for volunteering data scientists
Many data scientist are looking to research the novel coronavirus and ways to fight the continued outbreak. Read on for the top COVID-19 data resources for volunteer researchers. Continue Reading
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Feature
20 Mar 2020
Varied experience builds strong data science background
Data scientists need many skills and learn those skills from different backgrounds. Experts say relevant experience can come from nearly any quantitative field. Continue Reading
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News
11 Feb 2020
Snowflake raises $479 million to boost cloud data warehouse
Snowflake is looking to grow its data warehouse platform with new funding and a partnership with Salesforce that could differentiate its platform from rivals. Continue Reading
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News
10 Feb 2020
GoodData says it is CCPA compliant
GoodData says it is complying with the California Consumer Privacy Act. Meanwhile, founder and CEO Roman Stanek talks about why complexity is a key challenge for data analytics. Continue Reading
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Feature
06 Feb 2020
How to improve data scientist job satisfaction
Hiring data scientists is tough. Keeping them is tougher. However, there are certain things companies can do to minimize the high cost of turnover within their data science team. Continue Reading
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News
22 Jan 2020
New Confluent Platform release boosts event streaming quality
Based on the open-source Kafka event streaming platform, the Confluent Platform 5.4 update adds new capabilities to help meet enterprise data management requirements. Continue Reading
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Feature
19 Dec 2019
2019 BI trends included reality check for AI, consolidation
AI features in BI products improved in 2019, but not at the pace predicted before the year began. Instead, advancement was incremental and consolidation was a dominant theme. Continue Reading
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Feature
12 Dec 2019
Data scientist vs. data analyst: What's the difference?
Data scientists and data analysts have a lot of crossover in their roles, but they're certainly not the same. Here's a look at some key differences in the positions. Continue Reading
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News
26 Nov 2019
Startup Sisu's data analytics tool aims to answer, 'Why?'
With the ability to answer, 'Why?' at the core of its diagnostic tool, startup analytics vendor Sisu recently entered the market with aims of competing against established vendors. Continue Reading
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News
07 Nov 2019
Evolution of analytics marked by wider dissemination of data
With BI platforms getting easier to use by the year and enabling more self-service users in process, the value of analytics is being realized by a growing audience. Continue Reading
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News
04 Nov 2019
Microsoft launches Azure Synapse Analytics for the cloud
New Microsoft Azure analytics service provides cloud BI and machine learning, enabling users to do analytics on data in various sources, including data warehouses and data lakes. Continue Reading
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Tip
08 Oct 2019
7 steps to a successful data lake implementation
Flooding a Hadoop cluster with data that isn't well organized and managed can stymie analytics efforts. Take these steps to help make your data lake accessible and usable. Continue Reading
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Feature
01 Oct 2019
Data science storytelling emerges as top analytics skill
Storytelling in data science is emerging as a critical skill to have in analytics. Without it, data-driven insights have a tendency to wither on the vine. Continue Reading
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News
27 Sep 2019
Former accountant embezzled $3.5 million from QlikTech Singapore
A former employee of analytics vendor Qlik’s Singapore subsidiary embezzled nearly $4 million. Ariel Biasong Salamanes worked in the Singapore office’s sales and marketing department. Continue Reading
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Answer
27 Sep 2019
How can your IT resilience plan incorporate big data analytics?
Big data analytics can help businesses spot past mistakes, forecast conditions and improve future strategies. So, why should resilience planning be any different? Continue Reading
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News
25 Sep 2019
Cloudera Data Platform gives big data users multi-cloud path
Cloudera released a big data platform combining its technologies and ones from Hortonworks, initially in the AWS cloud but with multi-cloud support to come. Continue Reading
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News
07 Aug 2019
HPE acquires MapR storage layer for AI, containers
MapR storage technology gets a new lease on life from HPE, which plans to integrate the AI data management features with recently acquired BlueData container-as-a-service platform. Continue Reading
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News
06 Aug 2019
HPE buys MapR assets to fuel AI applications
Longtime independent big data vendor MapR goes out of business, selling technology and intellectual property to HPE. The move marks the continuing decline of the Hadoop market. Continue Reading
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Tip
29 Jul 2019
How to navigate today's business analytics governance challenges
Don't let a traditional analytics mindset lure you into complacency when it comes to advanced analytics governance. Here are the biggest governance roadblocks and how to avoid them. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Jul 2019
Cloud cost implications of the 5 V's of big data
Moving analytics to the cloud opens a lot of doors for users, but only if they keep costs in check and understand the 5 V's of big data -- volume, variety, velocity, veracity and value. Continue Reading
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Feature
11 Jul 2019
Today's top data pipeline management challenges
IT executives say pricing models, agility and auditability are some of the biggest challenges they have faced in managing today's increasingly complex data pipelines. Continue Reading
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Feature
09 Jul 2019
AI and big data go perfectly together -- sometimes
The combination of big data and AI tools enables new forms of analytics and automation, but use of the technologies in enterprise applications is still evolving. Continue Reading
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Feature
26 Jun 2019
How 4 organizations are breaking down data silos
Siloed data continues to inhibit enterprise efficiency. Here, IT professionals discuss problems their organizations are facing around data silos -- and how they're solving them. Continue Reading
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Feature
13 Jun 2019
Microservices and big data start to get closer
Microservices are riding a wave of user interest, leading to changes in IT operations. ThoughtWorks expert Zhamak Dehghani discusses what that means for big data. Continue Reading
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News
06 Jun 2019
Google acquisition of Looker to boost Google Cloud analytics
By acquiring Looker, Google will enhance its analytics and BI capabilities available through Google Cloud, while becoming a formidable force in the enterprise-level BI space. Continue Reading
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News
31 May 2019
MapR's future in jeopardy, layoffs loom
It's right there in a MapR letter to California's labor department: A leader in the Hadoop market is desperately seeking funding after poor sales of its promising data platform. Continue Reading
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Feature
29 May 2019
6 tips for effective customer data mining
Digging into customer data can improve sales opportunities -- but how do you balance that against data privacy concerns? Get insights from data professionals. Continue Reading
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Feature
21 May 2019
Inside view of Tibco integration architecture planning
Tibco's acquisitions of well-regarded, small software specialists such as SnappyData are part of a drive toward what it calls 'connected intelligence.' CTO Nelson Petracek provides background. Continue Reading
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News
15 May 2019
Qlik debuts free data literacy certification
Qlik unveiled a free data literacy certification in the hopes of making people -- both customers and non-customers -- more data literate. Continue Reading
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Feature
14 May 2019
Advice on enterprise data cleansing from an SAP VP
SAP's Kristin McMahon details data cleansing best practices and explains why a good data cleanse needs continual communication, collaboration and oversight. Continue Reading
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Feature
09 May 2019
Data modeling software tackles glut of new data sources
Data modeling platforms are starting to incorporate features to automate data-handling processes, but IT must still address entity resolution, data normalization and governance. Continue Reading
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News
03 May 2019
SAS Viya cloud software at center of SAS analytics strategy
The spotlight at SAS Global Forum 2019 was on the vendor's Viya analytics tools, which are getting new functionality and licensing options meant to spur deployments. Continue Reading
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Feature
29 Apr 2019
A future data scientist needs business, deep learning skills
As automation grows, data scientists will focus more on business needs, strategic oversight and deep learning and less on model creation and other routine tasks. Continue Reading
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News
24 Apr 2019
Databricks open sources data lake building tool Databricks Delta Lake
Databricks Delta is now Delta Lake, an open source tool for building in data lakes. Databricks introduced the product at Spark + AI Summit 2019, alongside the upcoming Spark 3.0. Continue Reading
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Feature
24 Apr 2019
Augmented BI tools speed insights with less manual labor
Through AI, machine learning and NLP, augmented analytics reduces the manual labor of traditional BI work to more quickly and accurately locate and analyze relevant data. Continue Reading
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Feature
24 Apr 2019
Most in-demand data science skills include ML, Python
Experts detail the skills employers want most in data scientists -- notably machine learning and programming languages -- and why often the most valuable expertise comes with time. Continue Reading
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News
17 Apr 2019
Google takes a run at enterprise cloud data management
New Google Cloud boss Thomas Kurian is putting databases and data management at the forefront at Google. The vendor has forged key data deals, showing a more mature Google Cloud. Continue Reading