Big data has become an integral part of various industries, driving manufacturing advancements and scientific breakthroughs. To harness the power of big data, scalable tools are required for efficient data ingestion, curation, exploration, and discovery. In this article, we will delve into the concepts of Derived Views and Query Federation in SQL Server, which enable users to customize their data interfaces and query data from multiple sources.
Derived Views
While having a database model of your data is useful, creating views of your enterprise data can offer several advantages:
- Simplified access: Views provide access to specific subsets of data, allowing for built-in filtering, column selections, and more. This simplifies commonly used queries.
- Improved security: Views can select specific columns/rows and set permissions on the view itself, providing granular control over data accessibility for each user.
- Complex, real-time data: Views can perform roll-up operations, JOINs, and more, providing real-time access to data by executing live queries against the underlying tables.
In SQL Server, the Derived View feature allows you to create views of your SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources. These derived views behave like user-defined views, but their definitions reside directly within the SQL Server instance.
To create a derived view, follow these steps:
- Create a virtual database for your data by navigating to the Data Model tab and selecting the desired data source.
- Configure the connection using the data source-specific properties.
- Explore the virtual database in the Data Explorer and drag tables into the query pane.
- Create custom SQL queries based on the data model to request specific data.
- Save the query as a derived view by clicking the “Create Derived View” button.
Once the derived view is saved, users can easily access the results of the specific query. For example, the derived view can be used to visualize the results in popular BI and reporting tools.
Query Federation
In addition to creating derived views, SQL Server also offers the Query Federation capabilities, which allow you to query related data across different sources. This means you can join data from your CRM solution with data from your accounting solution, for example.
The Query Federation feature in SQL Server is built using existing query federation technology. To query data across different sources, you need to create multiple virtual databases in your SQL Server instance. Once the databases are created, you can query data from both of them simultaneously, just like you would query data from two related databases.
For example, you can connect to SQL Server from Power BI and visualize your data, leveraging the Query Federation capabilities.
Query Federation in Derived Views
The Query Federation functionality can also be used to create Derived Views across different data sources. This provides users and administrators with all the benefits of views, along with the ability to query data from multiple sources simultaneously.
To create a Derived View using Query Federation:
- Construct a query that joins data from multiple virtual databases.
- Save the query as a derived view.
This approach combines the advantages of views with the benefits of querying data from multiple sources, offering a powerful tool for data analysis and exploration.
Conclusion
As the volume of data continues to grow, it is crucial to have efficient tools for data integration and query processing. SQL Server provides features like Derived Views and Query Federation, which enable users to create customized data interfaces and query data from multiple sources. With these capabilities, businesses can unlock the potential of big data and make informed decisions based on real-time insights.
For more information on SQL Server’s connectivity platform, CData Connect, which facilitates seamless data integration, visit their website.