From Collection to Operational Analytics:

Teradata Unified Data Architecture

Abstract
Teradata offers an integrated data management solution that HIGHLIGHTS
Vendor Name: Teradata
incorporates the collection, discovery and analytics of multi-structured
data sources like Big Data. This ENTERPRISE MANAGEMENT Product Name: Teradata
ASSOCIATES (EMA) Product Brief reviews the Teradata Unified Unified Data Architecture
Data Architecture solution and recognizes Teradata as a leader in the Product Version: Teradata Database
integrated data management platform space. 14.10, Teradata Aster 5.10,
Hortonworks Data Platform 1.2

Corporate Background Product function: Integrated

Teradata is a data management technology company headquarted Data Warehouse, Data
Discovery and Data Storage
in Ohio. Teradata supports its customers in the following vertical
industries: Vendor contact:
info@teradata.com
• Banking/Financial Services www.teradata.com/UDA
• Government
• Retail
• Telecommunications
• Transportation
Teradata (NYSE – TDC http://www.teradata.com/) is a global organization with offices and practices
in North, Central and Latin America; Europe; the Middle East; Africa; and Asia Pacific. Teradata’s
offerings include Teradata Database v14 software, which delivers data management and analytical
processing, and Teradata Platform, the hardware and appliance components supporting the Teradata
v14. The company also offers professional consulting services in the areas of data warehouse modeling,
design, architecture, implementation, and optimization.
Teradata’s Aster group (http://www.asterdata.com/) supports Big Data discovery and analytics with
its Teradata Aster Discovery Platform, which includes the Teradata Aster Database and the Teradata
Aster Discovery Portfolio. Aster Database 5.10 utilizes Aster’s SQL-MapReduce, a patented analytical
framework, to improve the processing performance of data and applications.

Key Observations
• From Collection to Analytics: Teradata’s Unified Data Architecture provides a blueprint for
data and technical architects to utilize Big Data from data collection to analysis. This includes
Hortonworks Data Platform for Hadoop, Teradata Aster as a Discovery Platform, and Teradata
Database for operational analytics.
• Connecting the Dots: Teradata’s experience with administration and integration provides
guidance on the facilities required to lower total cost of operation (TCO) integrating Big Data into
operational analytics. These tools provide database administrators and data center operations teams
with the functionality to manage Big Data without going to the command line.

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 • Discovering the Details: Teradata Aster’s Data Discovery functionality provides the leap from Big
Data collection in a Hadoop environment to evaluating that information to use within existing
analytical infrastructures. Data Discovery functionality allows for business analysts and data
scientists to explore and find the right connections within multi-structured data.
• Finding the Right Partner: At the initial step of Big Data collection and management, Teradata
has partnered with Hortonworks Data Platform as a Hadoop distribution. With this partner choice,
Teradata is working with the leaders of the open source community to maintain consistency with
future Hadoop development as opposed to selecting a proprietary distribution.
• Details: For more detailed information on Teradata’s Unified Data Architecture, go to http://www.
teradata.com/products-and-services/unified-data-architecture/

Product Description
The Teradata Unified Data Architecture is a blueprint for organizations faced with the task of including
multi-structured data sources into their established analytical environments. The Teradata UDA is
comprised of three main components or layers. The first is a data acquisition or data collection layer.
Teradata’s partnership with Hortonworks Data Platform (Hortonworks) supplies this technology.
Hortonworks is powered by the series of Apache Hadoop open source projects and provides an open and
stable foundation, with which enterprises can establish Big Data collection and processing environments.

Figure 1: Teradata Unified Data Architecture

The next layer is an investigation component where business analysts and data scientists can explore
connections and relationships within Big Data sources. This discovery functionality is supplied by the
Teradata Aster platform. The Aster platform’s MapReduce-based analytic processing provides insights
on multi-structured data types such as sensor and machine generated data; transactional event data; and
consumer generated social network data.
Finally, when Big Data sources have been vetted and are ready to be included in operational analytical
workflows, there is an integrated data warehouse component. This technology is supplied by the
Teradata Database. Teradata Database v14 software delivers data management and analytical processing.
Teradata Database operates on the Teradata Platform, the MPP hardware and appliance components.
These components are connected and supported by a series of Teradata provided administration tools.
Included in this list are the following:
• BYNET®: BYNET provides the connectivity backbone between the elements of the Unified
Data Architecture, which allows the transfer of Big Data size data loads between platforms. This

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 proprietary interconnect technology has long been a key component of the Teradata massively
parallel (MPP) processing infrastructure.
• Teradata Viewpoint: Viewpoint provides a browser-based monitoring and administration console
for the Teradata Database and Teradata Aster platforms. This allows DBAs the ability to manage
from a single remote point rather than requiring multiple onsite administration points. Viewpoint
integrates operational and query management into a flexible graphical interface.
• Teradata Unity™: Unity automates and simplifies some of the provisioning, data transfer and
administrative functions and places them in the hands of advanced users. Unity consists of Unity
Loader, Unity Director, Unity Data Mover, and Unity Ecosystem Manager. Teradata Unity supports
system availability, workload optimization and disaster recovery across multiple systems.
• Teradata Studio: Teradata Studio is a client-based graphical interface used to perform database
administration, external data access and query tasks on both the Teradata Database and Aster
Database. It provides administrators and end-users an environment for maintaining database
environments, writing SQL, loading data labs, and moving data between Teradata and Hadoop.
• Teradata Data Connectors for Hadoop: Teradata offers a series of data connectors to Hadoop
that includes access to the Sqoop integration and command line interfaces. These data connectors,
in addition to the SQL-H connectivity associated with the Teradata Database and Teradata Aster,
allow for streamlined data transfer between Hadoop and HDFS and the Teradata Database.

Product Position
Teradata’s Unified Data Architecture handles many of the data management functions depicted in the
EMA Hybrid Data Ecosystem. Teradata UDA includes components of the Enterprise Data Warehouse,
Data Mart, Discovery Platform and Hadoop nodes depicted in the following diagram.

Figure 2: EMA Hybrid Data Ecosystem

Teradata’s UDA solution focuses on linking those nodes with administration and data integration
facilities to make the combination of those functions as simple as possible for organizations.

EMA Perspective
We are quickly moving from the debate on whether Big Data should be used within our organizations
to how Big Data should be integrated into operational and analytical workloads. Organizations are
looking for guidance and best practices on how to perform that integration. Big Data, in particular

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 multi-structured sensor and machine-to-machine (M2M) data, is one of the key drivers in data
management. These multi-structured data sources challenge relational structured data management
platforms. However, while these data sources represent a test of processing power and storage of
traditional platforms, the techniques and best practices associated with current analytical environments
can still provide value on Big Data initiatives.
Past experience, with complex workloads in the retail industry point of sale operational data and data
loads associated with telecommunications network data, will lay the groundwork for success with
sensor and M2M data sources. Understanding the following will be the key to successfully integrating
Big Data into analytical environments:
• Different, and often complex, workloads associated with the ingestion of large data sets
• Integration of new data sources into existing analytical processes and business flows
• Proper investigation of new data sources, and how to appropriately identify business connections
within data sets
Teradata’s Unified Data Architecture provides the blueprint on where and how to store Big Data.
In addition, Teradata’s UDA provides the integration and administrative guidance on practices and
tooling to operationalize the integration of Big Data in analytical environments.
Teradata’s approach to utilize multiple platforms for different workloads reflects the results of the
2012 EMA Big Data Research . In that research, 61% of end users were implementing between two
and four different platforms to achieve their Big Data initiatives. This shows that end users see the
value in using different technologies to support different workloads. Teradata’s UDA embraces this by
integrating EMA HDE Hadoop and Discovery Platform nodes with Enterprise Data Warehouse
(EDW) technologies. Hortonworks Data Platform handles the multi-structured data collection and
processing via the Hadoop node. For the Discovery Platform node, Teradata Aster supports Big Data
exploration and investigation. Teradata Database and the Teradata Platform support the Enterprise
Data Warehouse node of the HDE.
Also, included in the EMA Big Data research was also insight into the hurdles for its Big Data strategies.
Over 40% of respondents indicated that a lack of schema flexibility in data warehouse and data mart
implementations would impact their Big Data strategies. With the inclusion of separate nodes that
handle multi-structured data, Teradata has provided end users with the ability to fully utilize the power
and performance of its EDW implementations, but mitigate the concern about schema flexibility.
On the other side, end users in the EMA Big Data study indicated that Operational Administrative
Time (46%) and New Skills Development Time (34%) were hurdles to using platforms not based on
SQL data access. Providing the integration best practices and Teradata Unity tools for data movement
and system administration, Teradata addresses these issues with the “connective tissue” provided via
Teradata Unity and other facilities.
Taken as a whole, the Teradata Unified Data Architecture is an impressive strategy for the implementation
of Big Data analytics using the strengths of individual technology platforms and well established
best practices. The Teradata UDA addresses concerns of end-users as to the hurdles of Big Data
implementations and does so with established tools. EMA considers the UDA to be one of the best
architectures for integrating Big Data into established analytical platforms and an architecture to consider
when organizations look to expand their Big Data integration strategy beyond individual platforms.

About EMA
Founded in 1996, Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) is a leading industry analyst firm that provides deep insight across the full
spectrum of IT and data management technologies. EMA analysts leverage a unique combination of practical experience, insight into
industry best practices, and in-depth knowledge of current and planned vendor solutions to help its clients achieve their goals. Learn
more about EMA research, analysis, and consulting services for enterprise line of business users, IT professionals and IT vendors at
www.enterprisemanagement.com or blogs.enterprisemanagement.com. You can also follow EMA on Twitter or Facebook. 2704.072213

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