RHadoopsqlI’m a DBA with a working knowledge of Oracle, SQL Server, and MySQL. I have been reading more and more about big data, should I learn Hadoop?

First, thank you for emailing your question. The mere nature of your question tells me that you’re pointed in the right direction. As a database administrator, keeping abreast of database oriented trends and products will service you well.

For those not familiar with Hadoop, it’s an open source framework created by the Apache Software Foundation, the same group that created the Apache HTTP Server. At a very high level, Hadoop is a software framework designed to store and process very large data sets across multiple servers.

To your question, yes, given that you are a database professional, it is only to your advantage to learn about the products and technologies in your professional area. Big data is certainly a megatrend within the IT industry and as a result, very worthwhile to become involved.

Regarding Hadoop, you may or may not have the opportunity to use it in your current role based on the nature of your company’s data, business model, and business needs. That said, it would still be very advantageous for you to learn about it for a number of reasons:

• As a techie, Hadoop is a very cool technology. You may just find it fascinating and conceptually interesting to learn.

• Even though your company is not currently involved in big data today, it doesn’t mean it won’t become involved tomorrow. Being curious and learning Hadoop on your own as an at-home “science project” can position you as the internal Hadoop and big data expert should the need arise.

• Big data is a major technical megatrend within the IT industry. As a result, there is a very real potential that knowledge of big data’s “poster child technology”, Hadoop, can open doors and opportunities for you that may otherwise remain closed.

• Even if you don’t end up working directly with Hadoop and/or super large data sets, as a DBA you may be asked to pass data to and/or receive analyzed/summarized data from these super large data sets. This understanding will provide you with insights on how to best develop innovative solutions and/or uses for the data under your control.  Read more