Velocity

This shows the speed at which data is being created. As seen earlier in this chapter, services like YouTube and Snapchat have extreme levels of velocity (this is often referred to as a “firehouse” of data). This requires heavy investments in next-generation technologies and data centers. The data is also often processed in memory not with disk-based systems.

Because of these issues, velocity is often considered the most difficult when it comes to the three Vs. Let’s face it, in today’s digital world, people want their data as fast as possible. If it is too slow, people will get frustrated and go somewhere else.

Over the years, though, as Big Data has evolved, there have been more Vs added. Currently, there are over ten.

But here are some of the common ones:

• Veracity: This is about data that is deemed accurate. In this chapter, we’ll look at some of the techniques to evaluate veracity.
• Value: This shows the usefulness of the data. Often this is about having a trusted source.
• Variability: This means that data will usually change over time. For example, this is the case with social media content that can morph based on overall sentiment regarding new developments and breaking news.
• Visualization: This is using visuals—like graphs—to better understand the data.

As you can see, managing Big Data has many moving parts, which leads to complexity. This helps to explain why many companies still use only a tiny fraction of their data.