1. Identify the five primary characteristics associated with big data discussed in this chapter.
2. This chapter presented five key challenges associated with big data. Propose a sixth key challenge. Why do you believe this poses a major challenge?
3. How does a data lake differ from a data warehouse? How does a data mart differ from a data lake, from a data warehouse? Briefly discuss any experience you have working with a data mart, data warehouse, or data lake.
4. Briefly describe the purpose of each step in the ETL process. Would the purchase of high-quality data from a reputable third-party obliviate the need for any of the steps in the ETL process? Explain.
5. In what ways is an SQL database different from a NoSQL database?
6. Identify the two primary components of the Hadoop environment and the role that each plays.
7. What is the primary reason an organization might elect to employ an in-memory database to process big data?
8. The terms business intelligence and analytics are often used interchangeably. Are they the same or different? Explain.
9. How would you describe the role of a data scientist? Is such a role of any interest to you? Why or why not?
10. Which broad category of BI/analytics might Walmart employ to analyze the flow of shoppers through its stores? What might be the purpose of such an analysis? What broad category of BI/ analytics might Walmart use to analyze consumer comments and questions & comments to capture and quantify customer sentiment data?
11. Which of the specific BI/analytic techniques discussed in this chapter have you employed? Briefly describe the situation in which you used the specific technique(s). Were you satisfied with the process required to use this technique and the results it produced? Why or why not? Which specific technique(s) are you interested in learning more about?
12. What two key components in addition to a solid data management program must be in place for an organization to get real value from its BI and analytics efforts?
13. The use of self-service analytics can introduce some new problems for an organization. Can you identify four potential issues?