What is Big Data?

What exactly is Big Data?

Most people think of big data as just a large amount of data. In principle, this is correct, but big data has many more dimensions.

Although no single definition of Big Data exists, the attempted definition via the three dimensions - the "Three V's of Big Data" - has become established.

• Volume (data volume): The eponymous dimension of Big Data - the large volume of data.
• Velocity: Both the speed of data processing and the dynamics of change in the data.
• Variety (data variety): The variety of data sources, data structures, and data classes.

Two additional dimensions have been added to this attempted definition over time and provide a good framework for approaching the topic of Big Data.

• Value: The business value that can be generated by Big Data.
• Validity (data quality): The dimension that deals with the consistency of the data.

Nevertheless, there is still no definition that is able to cover all facets of Big Data.

Source: Ronald Bachmann, Guido Kemper, and Thomas Gerzer (2014), "Big Data - Fluch oder Segen?: Unternehmen im Spiegel gesellschaftlichen Wandel", MitpProfessional, Heidelberg: MITP, pp. 23-43.