Definition of a Data Lake
Which of the following best describes a data lake in the context of data storage technologies?
- A large, scalable repository that stores structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data in its raw form
- A system designed specifically for managing only relational data tables
- A tool used exclusively for real-time analytics processing data streams
- A secure place to store only encrypted documents for regulatory compliance
- A legacy framework for handling only batch-processed numeric data
Purpose of Data Lakes
What is a primary reason organizations use data lakes in their data architecture?
- To provide flexible storage that allows data to be kept in its original format until needed for analysis
- To replace all backup systems with faster tape-based solutions
- To convert unstructured text into relational tables during data ingestion
- To prevent users from accessing any form of historical data
- To only support small datasets that require frequent deletion
Differences Between Data Lakes and Data Warehouses
How does a data lake differ from a traditional data warehouse when handling diverse data types?
- A data lake can store images, videos, and logs alongside tables, while a data warehouse typically stores only structured data
- A data lake only accepts data after it has been cleaned and transformed
- A data lake performs faster analytics exclusively on numeric data
- A data warehouse freely stores raw video files and binary objects
- A data lake requires every dataset to fit a predefined schema
Example Use Case
If a company wants to collect data from sensors, web logs, and social media posts for future analysis, which storage solution is most suitable?
- A data lake, because it can accommodate various formats without immediate processing
- A relational database, because it automatically parses unstructured data
- A flat file server, since it organizes all content in fixed schemas
- A metadata repository, restricting access to structured tables only
- A data ring, which is designed for streaming data only
Data Lake Challenges
What is a common challenge organizations face when implementing data lakes?
- Ensuring data governance and quality due to storing diverse raw data
- Converting all files to binary code before storage
- Restricting access so strictly that no analysis is possible
- Enforcing single-user access at all times
- Only allowing text data to be ingested