Software Architecture for Big Data and the Cloud

Foreword by Mandy Chessell

Mandy Chessell     IBM's Hursley Laboratory, UK

Amnesia or Progress?

Over the last few years, big data processing techniques and practices have matured. We no longer hear claims that the sheer volume of “big data” renders old fashioned, complex and time-consuming practices, such as data quality management, obsolete. In fact, many practices that were developed for data warehousing are being introduced into big data projects. There is a rise in the demand for data modelers, and technologies such as SQL and ETL engines are being ported and enhanced to execute on big data platforms.

So what have we gained in this movement to big data? Was it just a case of collective industry amnesia as we cast aside the years of ...