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Glossary/Data lake

What is Data lake?

In short

A data lake is a central repository that stores large volumes of raw data in its original format, whether structured, semi-structured or unstructured, until it is needed for analysis.

Key takeaways

  • A data warehouse structures data before storing it; a data lake applies structure when the data is read.
  • Without metadata and governance, a data lake becomes hard to search and trust.
  • Access controls matter because raw data may include sensitive information.

Where it's tested

ISC: Data Management & Governance — study notes, a five-minute revision sheet and practice questions.

Practise: 3 questions

Question 1 of 3 · 0 answered

How does a data lake differ from a data warehouse?

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