K2View has added an automated data catalog to an operational K2View Data Fabric that makes it easier to move tables and objects between platforms in real time. The data catalog automatically discovers and visualizes metadata structure, the relationships between data entities managed via the K2View Data Fabric, and tracks active metadata that represents frequency of access and performance.
In addition, the K2View Fabric now surfaces orchestration capabilities for creating data flows without having to write code. Accessed via a graphical user interface (GUI) that invokes a no-code/low-code framework built on top of a microservices-based architecture, the K2View Data Fabric now provides a codeless approach to moving data in real time, says K2View CTO Yuval Perlov.
In effect, the K2View Data Fabric makes it possible for any type of user to move data at a more granular level than rival data fabric platforms rather than requiring organizations to hire data engineers to programmatically move data using extract, transform and load (ETL) tools or some equivalent.
Other additional capabilities include a dynamic data virtualization capability that makes it possible to decide what data to virtualize versus store physically in the data fabric. K2View has also added connectors to multiple edge computing platforms.
Also read: Need for Data Fabrics Rises as IT Becomes More Distributed
The Impact of Digital Transformation
Thanks in part to the rise of digital business transformation initiatives, the amount of data that needs to move between platforms has increased dramatically. The challenge is the general shortage of data engineers that have the skills required to move data. Even when an organization can find a data engineer, retaining them can be just as challenging as organizations attempt to poach them.
The codeless approach enabled by K2View leverages a control plane that is accessed via a GUI) through which they invoke connectors to various data sources. That control plane can be deployed in an on-premises IT environment or in a cloud.
A data fabric as a term can be loosely applied to any platform that reduces the friction associated with access and sharing of data in a distributed network environment. As such, vendors that have historically positioned themselves as providers of everything from storage systems to data management platforms are all now claiming to varying degrees to provide data fabrics that span multiple computing platforms.
The issue is the degree to which those platforms enable end users to move data at a granular level versus having to rely on IT professionals to build complex data pipelines. The K2View Fabric eliminates that complexity, says Perlov. “It’s a one-step approach,” he adds.
Also read: APM Platforms are Driving Digital Business Transformation
Adopting Data Fabrics
It’s not clear at what rate organizations are embracing data fabrics. Right now, most organizations are managing massive amounts of data stored in a wide range of silos inside and out of the cloud. There has been some effort to centralize data in a single cloud data warehouse repository, but the probability all the data in the enterprise will be stored in a single platform are slim to none. The challenge now is finding a way to make it easier to access data regardless of where it resides.
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