For Amazon Web Services (AWS)[1], the key to their data management strategy was that you need the right tool for the job. And so, AWS has amassed a portfolio of 15 databases[2] over the years, and over the past few years, rarely did a re:Invent go by without announcement of some new database[3]. So maybe it's time to take a breath.
Last week, ZDnet colleagues Larry Dignan and Asha Barbaschow spotlighted a new theme emerging at this year's re:Invent about AWS placing its wagers[4] on data movement between storage, database, and analytics workflows[5] will be the secret sauce for gaining more workloads from legacy players. And yes, in an audacious move, AWS is seeking to grab your SQL Server workloads courtesy of Babelfish for Aurora PostgreSQL[6]. But to us, the highlight was announcement of AWS Glue Elastic Views[7] that is entering preview.
It's a response to rivals like Oracle that emphasize "converged databases," arguing that splitting workloads up into separate data stores is erecting new silos and adding complexity. While at this point, we're not going to predict that AWS will figuratively close the patent office and stop inventing new databases, there is the need to tie it all together. It's the latest stop on AWS's integration journey, providing a much simpler alternative to what has come before.
AWS's data integration journey
First, a look at where AWS has come from. AWS is not new at the data and database integration game, but until now there have been some limitations, not to mention that many of these paths had operational complexities, such as the need to set up configurations to get data or answers flowing, and then keep them flowing.