This Week’s Two Big Data Power Plays

Five Ways Automation Speeds Up Big Data Deployments

It’s pretty clear at this point that Hadoop will be more of an architecture add-on than a replacement for data warehouses. Especially since Teradata announced an expanded partnership with Hadoop distributor MapR this week.

Teradata sells a data analytics platform, services and other solutions, but its roots are solidly in the data warehouse. Actually, this year Teradata ranked as a leader in the 2014 Gartner Data Warehouse Database Management Systems Magic Quadrant, which should tell you something about the company’s focus.

Still, the company is aggressively promoting tools such as QueryGrid and Loom to help customers connect with Hadoop. Thanks to this new partnership, those tools will be integrated directly with MapR’s software, which will make it easier for existing Teradata customers to use their investments with Hadoop. InfoWorld has a concise piece on the deal, if you’re interested in the details.

This deal also includes giving MapR customers access to Teradata’s Consulting Services, which means these customers can receive more help with building a Hadoop architecture, data cleansing, data transformation and data science skills, according to the press release. Likewise, Teradata will be able to resell MapR software and professional services and provide customer support.

So, it’s a win for both MapR and Teradata customers, but it’s really awesome for overlapping customers, because it makes it easier to leverage data from both. Obviously, it also gives both businesses a way to grow their existing client bases.

But you know who may not be too keen on the deal? Hortonworks. The MapR/Teradata reveal happened roughly in sync with Hortonworks’ IPO revelations. This makes some wonder why Hortonworks is now launching its IPO and what Teradata’s potential role will be in that.

But as CMS Wire points out, until recently, Hortonworks enjoyed an exclusive advantage as a Teradata partner, going back to 2012. Last month, it revealed a similar deal with Cloudera, and now, with MapR, it supports all three major Hadoop distributions.

“What a huge win this is for Teradata,” writes CMS Wire Reporter Virginia Backaitis. “Only a few short years ago it looked like these Big-Data munching upstarts might marginalize the data warehouse giant , or even try to displace it, today Teradata is practically carrying them in through its customers doors and putting them on its pricelists.”

Loraine Lawson is a veteran technology reporter and blogger. She currently writes the Integration blog for IT Business Edge, which covers all aspects of integration technology, including data governance and best practices. She has also covered IT/Business Alignment and IT Security for IT Business Edge. Before becoming a freelance writer, Lawson worked at TechRepublic as a site editor and writer, covering mobile, IT management, IT security and other technology trends. Previously, she was a webmaster at the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and a newspaper journalist. Follow Lawson at Google+ and on Twitter.