The concept of Big Data revolves around datasets that are too large or complex to be managed using traditional data processing techniques. It’s characterized by four main attributes, commonly referred to as the Four V’s:
- Volume: The sheer amount of data being generated, often in terabytes, petabytes, or even exabytes.
- Variety: The diversity in data types, including structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data (e.g., text, images, videos).
- Velocity: The speed at which data is generated and needs to be processed in real-time or near-real-time.
- Veracity: The uncertainty or quality of the data, addressing issues like noise, biases, or incomplete data.
Big Data Technologies
Handling big data involves:
- Distributed storage systems/ Storage solutions: Ensuring that data is split and stored across multiple machines for redundancy and speed.
- Processing frameworks: Using tools like Spark or Hadoop to process data efficiently in parallel.
- Cloud platforms: Leveraging cloud infrastructure (e.g., Azure, AWS, Google Cloud) to scale resources dynamically based on workload.