Apache Parquet
I. Introduction
Product Name: Apache Parquet
Brief Description: Apache Parquet is an open-source, columnar storage format for Hadoop designed for efficient data storage and retrieval. It provides high-performance compression and encoding schemes to handle complex data in bulk.
II. Project Background
- Library/Framework: Apache Software Foundation
- Authors: Various contributors from the Hadoop ecosystem
- Initial Release: 2013
- Type: Columnar storage format
- License: Apache License 2.0
III. Features & Functionality
- Columnar Storage: Stores data by column, optimizing for analytical workloads.
- Compression: Supports various compression codecs for efficient storage.
- Encoding Schemes: Offers different encoding schemes for different data types.
- Schema Support: Includes schema information within the file for self-describing data.
- Row Group Structure: Organizes data into row groups for efficient read and write operations.
IV. Benefits
- Improved Query Performance: Optimized for analytical workloads with columnar storage.
- Efficient Compression: Reduces storage costs and improves query performance.
- Flexibility: Supports various data types and complex structures.
- Interoperability: Compatible with most Hadoop-based data processing frameworks.
V. Use Cases
- Data Warehousing: Storing and querying large datasets for analytical purposes.
- Data Lakes: Storing diverse data formats in a unified format.
- Machine Learning: Storing training and feature data.
- Big Data Analytics: Processing large-scale datasets for insights.
VI. Applications
- Financial services
- Telecommunications
- Retail
- Government
- Scientific research
VII. Getting Started
- Integrate Parquet with your preferred data processing framework (Spark, Hive, etc.).
- Create Parquet files using the framework’s APIs.
- Read Parquet files using supported tools and libraries.
VIII. Community
- Apache Parquet Website: https://parquet.apache.org/
- Apache Parquet GitHub: https://github.com/apache/parquet-mr
IX. Additional Information
- Widely adopted as the industry standard columnar storage format.
- Supports various data processing frameworks and tools.
- Active community and ecosystem of tools and libraries.
X. Conclusion
Apache Parquet is a popular columnar storage format for big data workloads. Its efficient storage and retrieval capabilities make it a preferred choice for data warehousing, analytics, and machine learning applications.