In order for businesses to be successful, they need accurate and timely data. Data is the lifeblood of any organization and is what allows businesses to make informed decisions, strategize, and plan for the future. Without data, businesses would be flying blind and at a disadvantage compared to their competitors.
To make use of data, businesses have a variety of techniques at their disposal, including data virtualization. Keep reading to learn how data virtualization works.
What is data virtualization?
Data virtualization is the process of creating a logical copy of data that can be accessed by multiple applications and users simultaneously. The physical data is not copied, but instead, a representation of the data is created in memory or on disk. This allows for faster access to the data, as well as easier management and scalability.
Data virtualization tools allow business users to work with data as if it were all in one place, even if it is spread out across multiple systems. A data virtualization tool is a software application that helps manage data across disparate data stores. It provides a single point of access to data regardless of its location, which helps reduce the complexity of data integration and data management projects. Data virtualization tools also help improve data accuracy and completeness and can promote data reuse.
There are a variety of data virtualization tools on the market, each with its own features and capabilities. When selecting a data virtualization tool, it’s important to consider the specific needs of your organization and the types of data you need to manage. Some of the key features to look for in a data virtualization tool include the ability to:
- Connect to a variety of data stores, including relational databases, data warehouses, big data platforms, and cloud storage services
- Map data relationships and create data models
- Transform and cleanse data
- Execute queries and reports
- Provision data and users
- Protect sensitive data
- Manage data governance and security policies
What are the benefits of data virtualization?
One of the benefits of data virtualization is that it can consolidate multiple disparate data sources into one cohesive view. This makes it easier to analyze and report on the data because there is no need to combine information from different sources manually. Additionally, because there is only one copy of the data in memory or on disk, performance is improved because there is less I/O traffic.
Another benefit of data virtualization is that it can help organizations scale their systems more easily. When new servers are added to the system, they are automatically added to the pool of resources that can be used by the VDS. This eliminates the need to add new copies of each database every time you add another server.
How does data virtualization work?
Data virtualization works by using a layer of software called a Virtual Data Store (VDS), which sits between the applications and the back-end databases. When an application requests data, the VDS retrieves it from the appropriate database and assembles it into a format that can be used by the application. The VDS also manages security and concurrency for all of the applications that are using it.
There are several best practices for implementing data virtualization. First, identify all sources of data that need to be included in the virtualized view. This may include both internal and external sources, as well as both structured and unstructured data. Next, determine the business requirements for accessing and analyzing the data. This will help you determine which features are needed in the virtualization solution. Then, choose a platform that meets your needs and is compatible with your existing infrastructure. The platform should also be able to scale to meet future needs. After that, implement a governance plan to ensure that changes to the data are managed effectively and consistently across all sources. This includes defining who has access to the data and what procedures must be followed when making changes. Finally, test the solution thoroughly before rolling it out to ensure that it meets all requirements and performs as expected.
Overall, data virtualization is an important process that can help to improve the efficiency and performance of an organization’s data management systems. By creating a virtualized data layer, data virtualization can help to improve the accessibility, usability, and security of data while also reducing the amount of time and resources needed to manage it.
