When you have large amounts of data that have to be processed Hadoop allows you to break down large groups into smaller groups so they become more manageable to process. Hadoop and similar open-source software is the favorite for sites such as Yahoo! and Google that are faced with searching through massive quantities of data every second. They have to do it efficiently and accurately to remain effective and to maintain users. Hadoop allows businesses faced with massive quantities of data to access data cost effectively without the need for multiple systems or excessive amounts of expensive hardware.
Parallel Searching
It might seem that by breaking the data down into smaller groups it would take longer to then search each of those smaller groups. However Hadoop uses a parallel searching method that means although the groups are smaller and in theory in larger quantities the same amount of data is searched, but in a more simplistic and condensed manner.
Yahoo! and Google
Who would know more about searching massive amounts of information more than Yahoo! and Google? With the information available across the web finding a way to quickly and effectively search for information requested using keywords seems overwhelming. However a programmer at Yahoo! by the name of Doug Cutting came up with the idea of breaking down the info into manageable groups and developed Hadoop for Yahoo! searches. Hadoop works to break down terabytes and petabytes and can work without interruption despite failures. Hadoop has to work in real time to provide the information people are seeking in seconds despite the vast quantities of information being processed for each search.
Accessible, Affordable Tools
Now that the need to manage massive amounts of data are more commonplace, the pricing to maintain these types of systems has become more affordable making access to the tools needed for effective data management more accessible then ever. The growth in demand, especially for companies such as Yahoo! and Google forced them to seek out new ways of engineering searches that would be fast, cost effective and capable of performing consistently and effectively.
The QnaList Hadoop question and answer session you might require will be a bit easier having the above information as a quick explanation of what Hadoop does and how it is applied.
