The Virtual Database (VDB) is a transformative approach to data management, offering unified access to disparate sources without physical data movement. VDB benefits include cost efficiency, enhanced governance, and unified data access. Case studies from companies like American Airlines and Constance Hotels highlight VDB’s impact on customer experience, operational efficiency, and cost savings.
Do you feel like you’re drowning in data? You’re not alone. Recent surveys reveal that the average company deals with data from 400 different sources. And over 20 percent of companies tap into 1,000 or more sources to feed their analytics systems (Harvard Business Review). Accessing, combining, and efficiently storing this data is a major challenge. But there’s good news: meet the Virtual Database (VDB), a true revolution in data management.
Just like Spotify revolutionized the music industry by aggregating songs from various sources into a single streaming platform, VDBs provide a unified, flexible, and efficient interface to query and manage data from disparate systems without physical data movement.
OK, but what is a Virtual Database?
As explained by Gartner, VDB acts as a unified access layer, allowing businesses to query data across multiple systems as if it were in a single database. VDB accesses needed data from these systems, shown below as data sources.
How does a VDB work?
• Data Virtualization: At its core, a VDB employs data virtualization technology. This means data remains in its original location while the VDB creates a virtual layer to access and integrate data from different sources seamlessly.
• Unified Query Interface: VDBs provide a singular query interface, allowing users to retrieve data without needing to understand the underlying complexities of each data source.
• Real-Time Data Access: By querying data in real-time, VDBs eliminate the need for extensive and expensive data migrations, ensuring that businesses always work with the most current data available.
Source: The University of Edinburgh, Data Virtualisation
What is there for my business?
1. Unified Data Access: Just like on streaming platforms users can smoothly access millions of songs, businesses using VDBs can immediately access and analyze data from various sources without worrying about the underlying complexities.
2. Cost Efficiency: By providing virtual access to data, VDBs reduce the need for redundant data storage and complex ETL processes. It significantly cuts down storage and operational costs.
3. Enhanced Data Governance: VDBs ensure data consistency and compliance by centralizing access controls and auditing, making it easier to maintain data integrity and comply with regulatory requirements.
Let’s see some real-world business examples
• American Airlines: Improving customer experience and operational efficiency for over 5,800 flights a day in 60 countries, American Airlines implemented a Virtual Database. They integrated flight data, customer preferences, and operational metrics, reducing app deployment time from 6 months to 6 minutes, which enhanced customer experience and decision-making. More details here.
• Now Optics: The eyeglass retailer optimized operations and improved customer satisfaction by integrating data from various channels into a Virtual Database. This boosted business efficiency by 25%, reduced costs, and allowed rapid responses to customer concerns.
• Constance Hotels, Resorts & Golf: By unifying data across properties, Constance Hotels gained real-time insights into guest preferences, improving guest services by 20% and streamlining operations.
Conclusion
The Virtual Database is a game-changer in data management. It unifies data access, reduces costs, and ensures data consistency. Many companies still struggle to unlock their data’s full potential; VDB can change that. Transform scattered data into a cohesive resource for better decisions. Are you ready to revolutionize your data strategy?
