SQL Server PDW Simplifies Access to Hadoop

An update to the PolyBase technology in SQL Server 2012 Parallel Data Warehouse (PDW) simplifies access to Hadoop, a technology for storing and processing large volumes of unstructured data, such as Web server logs and social media posts. PolyBase allows standard SQL queries (common in line-of-business applications and business intelligence [BI] tools) to reference Hadoop tables and query data in near real-time, potentially enabling better data analysis and extending the value of PDW. However, administrators need to configure Hadoop components to create readable table schemas that deliver data to meet business analysis requirements.

Big Data Access Holds Potential Business Value

PolyBase is a technology in SQL Server 2012 PDW that simplifies access to Hadoop data by presenting Hadoop table schemas in a PDW database as regular tables. This allows standard SQL queries to access and join structured data in PDW with large, unstructured data in Hadoop concurrently in near real-time. SQL Server 2012 PDW is designed to be a low-cost, easy-to-deploy appliance for data warehouses, which are special-purpose databases that store large volumes of structured data. The data, such as online purchases and airline reservations, are typically manageable and consistent, making them easily available for access and analysis by line-of-business applications, BI tools, reporting services, and other traditional database solutions.