Unleashing Real-Time Insights: Pairing InfluxDB with Data Lakes and Data Warehouses

By Jason Myers / Developer
Jan 17, 2024

Imagine a bustling city with millions of people going about their daily lives. Now, picture a network of interconnected roads, each representing a data point, capturing the pulse of the city in real-time. This is the essence of data lakes and data warehouses, where vast amounts of information flow in and out, shaping the decisions that drive businesses forward. However, to harness the power of these architectures, real-time analytics is essential. Enter InfluxDB, a game-changer in the world of data analytics. Let’s look at the current state of data lake and data warehouse analytics and explore how InfluxDB is revolutionizing real-time insights.

The current state of data lakes and data warehouse analytics

Data lakes and data warehouses have become the backbone of modern data architectures. They serve as repositories for storing and processing massive volumes of structured and unstructured data. These architectures enable organizations to consolidate data from various sources, providing a unified view for analysis and decision-making.

Traditionally, data lake and data warehouse design caters to larger-scale query processing on data that arrives slowly or follows a predefined ingestion pipeline. However, as businesses strive to gain a competitive edge, being able to analyze that data in real-time becomes paramount. Real-time analytics allow organizations to extract insights from data as it arrives, enabling timely decision-making and proactive actions.

Folding in real-time analytics

This is where InfluxDB comes into play. InfluxDB, a powerful time series database, brings real-time capabilities to data lakes and data warehouses. Built on the open source FDAP stack (Apache Flight, DataFusion, Arrow, and Parquet), it prioritizes integrations with third-party systems. By standardizing on the Parquet file format, InfluxDB facilitates seamless data sharing across different systems, enhancing collaboration and interoperability. To be clear, InfluxDB does not replace data lakes or data warehouses but works in concert with them so that users get the best of both worlds.

Moreover, InfluxDB’s ability to provide millisecond query latencies on incoming data is what truly sets it apart from data lakes and data warehouses. While traditional architectures focus on batch processing, InfluxDB empowers developers to perform instant analysis on streaming data. This real-time capability enables organizations to detect anomalies, monitor performance, and respond swiftly to changing conditions.

InfluxDB’s integration with third-party providers, including Databricks, Snowflake, and Athena for Amazon, further expands its capabilities. By effortlessly sharing data with these providers, organizations can leverage their specialized analytics tools and services, unlocking new possibilities for data analysis and insights.

On-going developments

Looking ahead, InfluxDB continues to evolve to meet the demands of data lake and data warehouse architectures. The next stage of development involves adding support for Apache Iceberg, a standard within data lakes for sharing data. The goal is to enable users to operate directly on stored Parquet files, extending the value of their data without the need for additional ETL processing. This development promises enhanced data governance, improved data quality, and simplified data sharing across different systems. Organizations using InfluxDB can expect a more efficient and streamlined data management experience within their data lake or data warehouse architectures.

Final thoughts

Data lakes and data warehouses deliver a ton of value, and pairing them with InfluxDB’s real-time analytics capabilities further enhances that value. By seamlessly integrating with third-party systems and prioritizing real-time capabilities, InfluxDB empowers organizations to unlock the full potential of their data. Its ability to provide millisecond query latencies on incoming data enables instant analysis and timely decision-making. Once support for Apache Iceberg is ready, InfluxDB users can anticipate even greater flexibility and efficiency in managing their data lakes and data warehouses. As the demand for real-time insights continues to grow, InfluxDB remains at the forefront of innovation, driving advancements in data analytics and empowering businesses to thrive in the data-driven era.