Key takeaways:
– Starburst launched a new managed service, Icehouse, based on the Apache Iceberg table format.
– The integration of Trino query engine and Iceberg tables will improve data storage and retrieval efficiencies in Icehouse.
– Jay Chen, VP of Starburst, claims the new service will simplify the Iceberg setup process drastically for customers.
– The both prestigious and sophisticated table format of Iceberg, hailed to a great extent by customers, provided the base for Icehouse.
– Icehouse, as part of Starburst’s Galaxy platform, connects to Kafka topics or utilizes CDC techniques to streamline data into Iceberg tables.
Starburst Highlights New Managed Icehouse Platform
Today, Starburst revealed its newest development — Icehouse. This managed lakehouse is an offering that stands on the open table format known as Apache Iceberg. The introduction of Icehouse into the analytics environment has sparked anticipation for increased data storage efficiency, which is largely due to the integration of the Trino query engine and Iceberg tables.
Apache Iceberg has been on a steady rise, emerging as the go-to table format for the new generation of data lakehouses. Its firm support for ACID transactions, coupled with other features that heighten data correctness and usability, is the backbone of its growing reputation. However, setting up and running Iceberg in an active production environment is not a straightforward task, despite its benefits.
Overcoming the Iceberg Complexities
Jay Chen, Starburst’s vice president of product marketing, addressed the challenges that Iceberg brings. He mentioned the difficulty in management setups and optimizing data for performance. Chen expounded on the crucial advantage that the Icehouse announcement brings, making the setup of Iceberg less challenging and time-consuming.
According to Chen, decision-making around table structures, partitioning, compaction, and cleanup can add a layer of difficulty when setting up Iceberg. Icehouse attempts to remove these complexities from customers, implement a basic Iceberg service, and tailor it to suit the needs of most clients.
The Value of Apache Iceberg
Ryan Blue, the co-creator of Apache Iceberg who initially developed Iceberg at Netflix, and other firms such as Tabular, believe that the benefits Iceberg extends for managing data consistency and integrity offset the slight inconvenience of managing an Iceberg environment.
Tobias Ternstrom, Starburst’s chief product officer, voiced similar sentiments. He acknowledged the complicated aspect of Iceberg, but emphasized the benefits it offers. Starburst Icehouse addresses these complications by offering features like table or column level role-based access control.
Integrating Data Through Icehouse
Icehouse builds upon Galaxy, Starburst’s managed, cloud-based data lakehouse platform thriving on major cloud services. Galaxy allows querying of data sitting in object storage using Trino, an open-source query engine that originated from Presto, co-supported by Starburst.
In addition to resolving access control and file management issues, Icehouse offers data management and ingestion capabilities. By connecting to Kafka topics or leveraging change data capture techniques, Icehouse can funnel data into Iceberg tables for immediate querying with Trino.
Transforming the Banner of Data Management
The main aim of Starburst’s efforts is to simplify the complex procedures of data storage and retrieval. The onset of services like Icehouse assures increased productivity among data analytics groups and organizations. Icehouse is currently in preview on AWS and S3. Upon release, it will become a supported component of Galaxy on public clouds.
In conclusion, data management companies like Starburst are focusing on rendering the process of data storage and retrieval more efficient and less tedious. The launch of Icehouse marks Starburst’s move towards providing integrated services that optimize the potential of modern table formats like Apache Iceberg. It’s a prudent move suggestive of Starburst’s commitment to offering advanced and convenient solutions suited to the changing landscape of data management.
