Data Warehouse as a Service (DWaaS) – what you need to know

Data Warehouse as a Service (DWaaS) is an outsourcing model, in which the configuration of the platforms and processes, management of hardware and software resources, and overall management of the system is handled by an external team – leaving you, as the customer, to provide the data and pay for the required services.

You may decide to have a DWaaS provider manage your entire data warehouse and data engineering needs, or you may decide to use specific services whilst handling the rest of the process yourself. Selecting the right Managed Services for your business can help provide you with peace of mind, and improved business continuity.

In order to make the correct decision for your business, and to understand what you should be looking for in a DWaaS, you need to carefully consider what you are doing with your data, how often you require updates and access, and what level of service requirements will best fit these needs.

What advantages are there in using DWaaS?

Data analytics are becoming more important in how businesses make decisions and manage their overall enterprise management, but that also means that the quality of the data is becoming more complex and varied.

DWaaS can provide higher availability and scalability of services, increased levels of security, low latency, and effective management of complex processes – such as regulatory compliance, necessary upgrades and troubleshooting, as well as optimised management of data pipelines and compilation of data from different sources.

Using a DWaaS can also be a cost-effective solution for skill shortfalls within your company as you are liaising and working with experts, who are highly trained and educated in managing data warehouses, and have superior working knowledge on comparative usage, and offering the correct options for a particular task. This not only allows you to save money but also improves the speed at which your system is set up and operated, providing you with a team who can enhance your operation.

What is involved in using a DWaaS?

Cloud-based data warehouses are similar in operational requirements to on-premise ones, from an architectural standpoint, and will typically involve the use of:

• DBMS – The Database Management System. The way in which this is set up (rows or columns) will depend on the platform and the operating system in use.
• Data Storage – For cloud-based platforms, the data is stored online (either in data warehouses or data lakes).
• Data Pipelines – This is how the platforms and processes are set up to take data from one point and move it to another. How and when the data is processed and transformed for use will depend on what type of data pipeline you are using – such as ETL or ELT.

Deciding whether to handle your data yourself or to trust experts to manage it for you, is a big decision – and one you should not take lightly. Take time to research your options, understand what you actually need, and speak with experts in order to make the most informed decision.

Ardent data warehouse services

Ardent's highly experienced engineers have worked with a wide variety of data and clients to build data warehouses to suit our client's unique needs and requirements. Whether you are looking for a data engineering team to come on board to manage your data or are looking to build a data warehouse to improve the accessibility of data, gain rich data insights and make data-driven decisions, we can help. Get in touch to find out more or explore our data warehousing services.

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