Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURE 2.2
Machine data from an interactive gaming system.
Data volume
Data volume is characterized by the amount of data that is generated continuously. Different data
types come in different sizes. For example, a blog text is a few kilobytes; voice calls or video files are
a few megabytes; sensor data, machine logs, and clickstream data can be in gigabytes. Traditionally,
employees generated data. Today, for a given organization, customers, partners, competitors, and any-
one else can generate data.
The following sections outline some examples of data generated by different sources.
Machine data
Every machine (device) that we use today from industrial to personal devices can generate a lot of
data. This data includes both usage and behaviors of the owners of these machines, and, in most
cases, also includes detail activity logs (
Figure 2.2
). Machine-generated data is often characterized by
a steady pattern of numbers and text, which occurs in a rapid-fire fashion. There are several examples
of machine-generated data; for instance, a robotic arm that is on an assembly line at an automotive
plant will be sending signals for every movement it makes, and that pattern will be steady, as opposed
to a dredging machine that is doing roadwork and sending signals back on how much movement it
had during the day, payload moved, and system and machine status. Sensors on top of buildings that
regulate heating and cooling send different signals all through the day; though the structure may seem
the same, the values differ depending on many factors. Sensors on automobiles send different signals
depending on road type, driving speed, weight, and more to support centers. Radio signals, satel-
lites, and mobile devices all transmit signals and can vary from small-volume bursts to large-volume
bursts. The bottom line is the data is a write once in most cases and will not have an update for the
same content except in case of corporate documents.
