Data Integration Blog -

Although it’ not something we usually discuss on The Data Integration Blog, the concept of big data has a spot in all of our hearts….or maybe it’s more like the pain in our side. As the challenge of big data grows, more and more organizations are struggling with and searching for various strategies and tools to process data more quickly in order to derive value from it, and make more effective business decisions. And as industry influencers like Loraine Lawson have mentioned in the past, big data has more to do with data integration than most people think: “Obviously, Big Data will be a big deal, creating not just new business and cost-saving opportunities, but potentially redefining democracy and open government. But all of that potential hinges on our ability to integrate, mine and use the data.” This makes the challenge of big data directly relevant to those dealing with data integration, and something that data integration professionals should begin thinking about.

There is a lot of talk of Hadoop as the most commonly used tool to tackle big data. According to a report published in July 2011 by Ventana Research titled, Benchmark Research: Hadoop and Information Management, ”more than half (54%) of participants are considering Hadoop for some of their large-scale data processing needs.” However, it appears that Hadoop is mostly being used to supplement already implemented tools within enterprise infrastructure, as the survey also revealed that “only about one-third (37%) of participating companies that use Hadoop do so to replace another technology.”

To help enterprises learn more about big data and how it fits with their traditional data warehouse and data mart, Pervasive DataRush and Karmasphere are hosting a webinar titled, “Big Data: The Role, Value and Best Practices of Hadoop,” taking place September 7 at 9:00 a.m. PDT/1:00 p.m. EDT (for the Americas), and September 8 at 3:00 p.m. BST (for Europe). During the webinar, guest speaker James G. Kobielus, senior analyst with Forrester Research, Inc., will discuss the concept of big data, and the emerging software platform used for big data: Hadoop. Following the discussion, Pervasive DataRush and Karmasphere will each give a short overview of their big data offerings.

Attendees can expect to learn:

- Where Hadoop adds the most business value.
- Best practices for using Hadoop.
- How companies are combining Hadoop with standard data warehouses and data marts.
- The Forrester model of the Hadoop ecosystem.

It should be a lively discussion. If you would like to attend the webinar, please register here: http://lp.pervasive.com/BigDataWebinarWithJamesKobielus.html.