12.08.11
Building Hadoop Databases
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When it comes to Hadoop, start off big and migrate to HUMONGOUS! The real benefits will only be found by starting big. Big is what Hadoop is about.
Think of Hadoop like the transport at NASA used to move the Shuttle from the Assembly Building to the launching pad. NASA did not test the transport by giving it a load that any small pickup truck could move. They loaded it down and tested its capability. They proved it could move a Shuttle with the care and ease that was needed.
So think big. What would be beneficial and impressive? How about loading all of the corporate documentation? How about loading the subjects of all of the corporate email over the last few years? How about something really grand? How about loading all of your customer information with all of their transactions over the last five years?
Keep in mind, that Hadoop is not just a repository of information to access. In other words, it is not just a data warehouse, it has processing capabilities as well.
To think of how you would start, consider forgetting what you know about managing and controlling data today. Think from a fresh point of view. Select a category with a huge amount of data and think like a Hadoop designer and imagine a new way of managing the data.
Most people have difficulty thinking in a new direction. The old way just keeps getting in the way. You wonder how you will do what you accomplish today using this new approach. It seems strange and inadequate to meet your needs. These folks need someone help them think through using Hadoop.
Enterprise Architects do not have the same difficult time in thinking in a new direction. Most of them are mature enough that they have had personal experiences with many new directions in their careers. In their minds, the distributed concept of Hadoop is just another opportunity to consider.
So think big. Think so big that your ideas seem ludicrous. When this happens you are on the right track.
The Enterprise Architects can see what is coming and are already preparing. They know that this will be their time. Corporations will be able to completely focus on their business, and automation will be viewed as an agile enabler. Automation will finally become the self-service contributor that the Corporate Office has always wanted it to be. –Enterprise Architects Masters of the Unseen City
Closing the Business / IT gap.
