What Does Big Data Mean For Us?

In the previous post we looked at the problem of Big Data and the industry's move toward more efficient relational database products (or even non-relational database products) that may remove the need for a data warehouse.  Some may be inclined to wonder what this means for those who have skills in data modeling and ETL development.  In order to answer this question I'm going to point to another blog that dealt with this question recently.  It is the Star Schema Central blog (on my blog list on the right side of the screen) which is maintained by Chris Adamson.  The link to that particular post is here.  He does a great job of explaining why dimensional modeling (the logical design of a data warehouse) will still be important in the world of Big Data.  This is an area that is still being defined, so the possibilities are still being explored.
 
While so much is still up in the air regarding the ways in which data will be modeled or ETL'd in the world of Big Data, consider that as you move forward in your career your overall mission is not to model data a certain way or even to write ETL.  Those are just a few techniques that can be used today and those techniques may become outdated.  The techniques may change over time but the main goal is to provide meaningful data to decision makers quickly and efficiently.  By focusing on this, no matter what the technique or technology of the day is, you will be turning your data into something of true value.

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