Managed data
What is Data as a Service (DaaS) and why it matters
A clear definition of Data as a Service (DaaS): what it includes, how it differs from building your own infrastructure and why more companies adopt it.
Read articleKey takeaways
- A data fabric integrates and unifies scattered data via metadata and automation.
- It lets you access data wherever it resides.
- It relies heavily on active metadata to automate integration.
- It differs from data mesh: more technological than organisational.
- What matters is the result: governed access to scattered data.
A company’s data lives in dozens of different systems, on-premise and in the cloud. The data fabric is an approach that weaves a "fabric" over all of them to access and govern data in a unified way, without physically consolidating it.
What it is
A data fabric is an architecture that integrates scattered data sources through a common layer of access, governance and metadata, relying on automation to connect, discover and serve data wherever it is.
The role of metadata
The core of a data fabric is active metadata: information about the data (what it is, where it is, how it relates, who uses it) that the system uses to automate integration and recommend connections. Without rich metadata, there is no data fabric.
Data fabric vs. data mesh
- Data fabric: technological — a layer that unifies access via automation and metadata.
- Data mesh: organisational — it distributes ownership across domains.
- Not exclusive: an organisation can combine principles of both.
Scattered sources
On-premCloud
Data fabric
MetadataAutomation
Unified access
GovernedIn place
When it adds value
The data fabric fits environments with many heterogeneous sources and a need for unified access without large migrations. For most companies, what matters is the result — governed, reliable access to scattered data — which a managed service can deliver by applying these principles.
For most companies the label matters less than the result: governed, reliable access to scattered data.
In summary
A data fabric unifies access and governance over scattered sources through active metadata and automation, without physically consolidating the data. It is more technological than the organisational data mesh, and the two can combine. For most companies, the goal is the result: governed access to scattered data.
Sources & further reading
Frequently asked questions
Are data fabric and data mesh the same?
No. The data fabric is more technological (a metadata- and automation-based integration layer); data mesh is organisational (ownership by domains). They can combine.
Do I have to move all data to one place?
Not necessarily. The data fabric aims to access and govern data where it resides, relying on metadata, rather than consolidating it physically.
What is essential to a data fabric?
Active metadata: without rich information about data and its relationships, the automation that defines a data fabric is not possible.
When does a data fabric add value?
In environments with many heterogeneous sources needing unified access without large migrations.
What is active metadata?
Information about the data — what it is, where it is, how it relates, who uses it — that the system uses to automate integration and recommend connections.
Do I need to build it myself?
No. A managed service can deliver the result — governed access to scattered data — by applying data-fabric principles for you.
Turn this data into results
Tell us what you want to achieve. Data Layer connects, processes and delivers the result up and running, with no infrastructure for you to manage.