Cataloging your data to avoid the data swamp

Even if you do protect your data correctly and handle it as required by local regulations, if you do not make it easy for your users to find your analytic datasets and understand more about those datasets, your analytic data can become a liability.

You have probably heard about swamps, even if you have never actually been to one. Generally, swamps are known to be wet areas that smell pretty bad, and where some trees and other vegetation may grow, but the area is generally not fit to be used for most purposes (unless, of course, you're an ogre similar to Shrek, and you make your home in the swamp!).

In contrast to a swamp, when most people think about a lake, they picture beautiful scenery with clean water, a beautiful sunset, and perhaps a few ducks gently floating on the water. Most people would hate to find themselves in a swamp if they thought they were going to visit a beautiful lake.

In the world of data lakes, as a data...