Big Data Architecture: An Overview

Big data is a term that refers to complex, large and disparate data sets that are too difficult to process using traditional data processing systems. These data sets not only involve structured but also semi and unstructured data from various sources such as social media platforms, mobile devices, servers, and many others. By processing and analyzing these data sets, organizations can generate essential insights into their operations, clients, and partners that can lead to optimized decision making, enhanced productivity, and better customer experiences.

However, the nature and size of Big Data require specialized processing tools and architectural frameworks to extract valuable insights from it. Big Data architecture refers to the systematic approach of organizing and managing large and complex data sets that enables meaningful analyses and business insights.

This article will provide an overview of Big Data Architecture, its layers, tools, and patterns. We will also discuss some examples of Big Data architectures and their applications.

Show List of contents

Big Data Architecture Layers

A big Data architecture consists of several interconnected layers that are designed to support the processing, management, and analysis of large and complex data sets. The layers are:

Foundation Layer

The foundation layer is the base layer of Big Data architecture where all the data is stored. This layer involves the collection, storage, and processing of large and messy data sets from various sources such as sensors, social media platforms, mobile devices, and IoT devices. This layer includes various technologies such as Hadoop Distributed File System, NoSQL databases, and others. The primary aim of this layer is to process large volumes of data quickly and efficiently. The data stored in this layer is raw and unstructured, making it difficult to analyze and interpret.

Ingestion Layer

The ingestion layer is responsible for data acquisition and the integration of various data sources into the big data architecture. This layer involves technology such as Apache Kafka, Nifi, the ETL process, and others. This layer filters the incoming data from different sources and ensures that the data is efficiently stored in the storage layer or processed by the analysis layer.

Integration Layer

The integration layer is responsible for adding structure and consistency to the raw data stored in the foundation layer. This layer involves technologies such as data warehousing and data marts where the formatted data is stored, integrated, and managed. This layer also includes data validation, data cleaning, and data transformation processes.

Analysis Layer

The analysis layer consists of technologies designed to query, analyze, and extract useful insights from the integrated and formatted data in the foundation layer. This layer includes technologies such as data mining, business intelligence, machine learning, and others. The primary aim of this layer is to provide useful insights and actionable data to business users.

Presentation Layer

The presentation layer involves the tools and technologies used to present the analyzed data to the end-users in the form of reports, dashboards, and visualizations. This layer includes technologies such as Tableau, Power BI, and QlikView.

Big Data Architecture Tools

The following is the list of widely used tools that can be used to build big data architectures:

1. Hadoop

Hadoop is a popular open-source big data platform for distributed storage and processing of large data sets across clusters of computers. It provides a framework that allows users to distribute and process large data sets that are too large to be handled by traditional data processing systems. Hadoop ecosystem includes Pig, Hive, Spark, and others.

2. Apache Spark

Apache Spark is an open-source cluster-computing framework designed for large-scale data processing and analytics. It provides an interface for programming entire clusters using Scala, Python, and R languages, making it easy to write and deploy large-scale applications.

3. NoSQL Databases

NoSQL databases are databases designed to handle large volumes of unstructured and semi-structured data from various sources such as Social media, IoT devices, and others. They are designed to be scalable and highly available. Examples of NoSQL databases are MongoDb, Cassandra, and HBase.

4. Apache Storm

Apache Storm is a distributed data processing engine designed for big data streaming processing and real-time analytics.

5. Apache Spark Streaming

Apache Spark Streaming is a real-time processing engine that enables high-throughput, fault-tolerant processing of streaming data from different sources.

6. Apache HBase

Apache HBase is a column-oriented NoSQL database designed to handle massive amounts of unstructured and semi-structured data.

7. Apache Cassandra

Apache Cassandra is another highly-scalable NoSQL database that is designed to handle massive amounts of read and write data operations with high availability across different data centers.

Big Data Architecture Diagram

The Big Data architecture diagram below shows an overview of the big data architecture layers, their respective components, and the flow of data processing:

Big Data Architecture Examples

The following are some examples of organizations that have successfully implemented Big Data architectures:

Netflix:

Netflix is a popular online streaming platform that uses big data analytics to provide personalized content and recommendations to its users. Netflix collects large amounts of data from its users, including their viewing history, ratings, and user profiles, to personalize the in-app experience for each user and help them discover new content more easily. Netflix's big data architecture utilizes an analytics platform that combines different tools, technologies, algorithms, and approaches to data processing. This technology includes the following:

• Apaches Cassandra database
• Elasticsearch for full-text search capabilities
• Apache Kafka for real-time event processing
• Apache Pig for ETL processing
• Amazon EC2 and S3 for storage and computing resources

Walmart:

Walmart is a multinational retail corporation that uses big data analytics to gain valuable insights into its operations, products and customer behavior. Walmart collects and processes large amounts of data, including customer transactions, inventory levels, and supply-chain data. Walmart's big data architecture involves a distributed system that includes the following technology:

• Apache Hadoop
• IBM Netezza data warehousing appliance
• PySpark for big data processing and analysis
• Hive for data warehousing and analytics
• Tableau for data visualization

Big Data Architecture Patterns PDF

Big Data Architecture Patterns refer to reusable designs that architects and developers can use to solve specific big data use cases and problems. The patterns provide a general solution for the same kind of problem appearing in different contexts. There are several resources available in the form of eBooks and PDFs, including the following:

• Big Data Patterns and Use Cases - O'Reilly Media
• The Big Data Architect's Handbook - Hadoop and Spark Best Practices
• Big Data Analytics with R and Hadoop - Vignesh Prajapati
• Big Data Black Book - Karthikeyan P
• Big Data Architect's Guide to Apache Hadoop and Spark

Big Data Architecture Case Study

The following is a case study of how Starbucks implemented a big data architecture:

Starbucks:

Starbucks is a popular coffee chain that uses big data and analytics to better understand its customer's behavior and preferences. Starbucks processes large amounts of customer data, including their purchases, usage, and feedback, to gain insights into the effectiveness of its marketing strategies and overall customer satisfaction. Starbucks big data architecture involves the following technology:

• Apache Hadoop for storing and processing imported data
• Teradata Aster Discovery Platform for data transformation and analysis
• Tableau for data visualization
• Apache Spark for processing and analysis of massive amounts of data

Starbucks' big data architecture allows it to gain actionable insights that enable them to improve their operations continually and provide a better customer experience.

Conclusion

Big Data architecture has proven to be an essential tool for modern organizations that require efficient processing, management, and analysis of massive data sets. The five identified layers of Big Data architecture are the foundation layer, ingestion layer, integration layer, analysis layer, and presentation layer. These layers form the basis for developing Big Data architecture, which involves using specialized tools and technology such as Hadoop, NoSQL databases, Apache Spark, and Apache Storm, among others. There are several resources available, including Big Data Patterns and Use Cases - O'Reilly Media and Big Data Analytics with R and Hadoop - Vignesh Prajapati, that showcase best practices and design patterns for developing big data architectures.