Data
virtualization is an umbrella term used to describe an approach to data
management that allows an application to retrieve and manipulate data without
requiring technical details about the data, such as how the data is formatted
or where it is physically located. The goal of data virtualization is to create
a single representation of data from multiple, disparate sources without having
to copy or move the data.
Data
virtualization software aggregates structured and unstructured data sources for
virtual viewing through a dashboard or visualization tool. The software allows
metadata about the data to be discoverable, but hides the complexities
associated with accessing disparate data from different sources. It is
important to note that data virtualization does not replicate data from source
systems; it simply stores metadata and integration logic for virtual viewing.
Vendors who specialize in this type of software include IBM, SAP, Denodo
Technologies, Oracle, TIBCO Software, Microsoft and Red Hat.
Essentially,
data virtualization software is middleware that allows data stored in different
types of data models to be integrated virtually. This type of platform allows
authorized consumers to access an organization's entire range of data from a
single point of access without knowing (or caring) whether the data resides in
a glass house mainframe, on premises in a data warehouse or in a data lake in
the cloud.
Because data virtualization software platforms view data sources in such an agnostic manner, they have a wide range of use cases. For example, the centralized management aspect can be used to support data governance initiatives or make it easier to test and deploy data-driven business analytics apps.
Data
virtualization software can also play a role in managing who is able to access
certain data sources and who is not. Perhaps one of the most important reasons
for deploying data virtualization software, however, is to support business
objectives that require stakeholders to view a single source of truth (SSOT) in
the most cost-efficient manner possible.
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