#Lakehouse Architecture

[rajaniesh]

Unlock Data Governance: Revolutionary Table-Level Access in Modern Platforms

Dive into our latest blog on mastering data governance with Microsoft Fabric & Databricks. Discover key strategies for robust table-level access control and secure your enterprise's data. A must-read for IT pros! #DataGovernance #Security

[keepingitneutral]

Villa K, Mikkeli, Finland,

Saukkonen + Partners

[jcmarchi]

Understanding On-Premise Data Lakehouse Architecture

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/understanding-on-premise-data-lakehouse-architecture/

Understanding On-Premise Data Lakehouse Architecture

In today’s data-driven banking landscape, the ability to efficiently manage and analyze vast amounts of data is crucial for maintaining a competitive edge. The data lakehouse presents a revolutionary concept that’s reshaping how we approach data management in the financial sector. This innovative architecture combines the best features of data warehouses and data lakes. It provides a unified platform for storing, processing, and analyzing both structured and unstructured data, making it an invaluable asset for banks looking to leverage their data for strategic decision-making.

The journey to data lakehouses has been evolutionary in nature. Traditional data warehouses have long been the backbone of banking analytics, offering structured data storage and fast query performance. However, with the recent explosion of unstructured data from sources including social media, customer interactions, and IoT devices, data lakes emerged as a contemporary solution to store vast amounts of raw data.

The data lakehouse represents the next step in this evolution, bridging the gap between data warehouses and data lakes. For banks like Akbank, this means we can now enjoy the benefits of both worlds – the structure and performance of data warehouses, and the flexibility and scalability of data lakes.

Hybrid Architecture

At its core, a data lakehouse integrates the strengths of data lakes and data warehouses. This hybrid approach allows banks to store massive amounts of raw data while still maintaining the ability to perform fast, complex queries typical of data warehouses.

Unified Data Platform

One of the most significant advantages of a data lakehouse is its ability to combine structured and unstructured data in a single platform. For banks, this means we can analyze traditional transactional data alongside unstructured data from customer interactions, providing a more comprehensive view of our business and customers.

Key Features and Benefits

Data lakehouses offer several key benefits that are particularly valuable in the banking sector.

Scalability

As our data volumes grow, the lakehouse architecture can easily scale to accommodate this growth. This is crucial in banking, where we’re constantly accumulating vast amounts of transactional and customer data. The lakehouse allows us to expand our storage and processing capabilities without disrupting our existing operations.

Flexibility

We can store and analyze various data types, from transaction records to customer emails. This flexibility is invaluable in today’s banking environment, where unstructured data from social media, customer service interactions, and other sources can provide rich insights when combined with traditional structured data.

Real-time Analytics

This is crucial for fraud detection, risk assessment, and personalized customer experiences. In banking, the ability to analyze data in real-time can mean the difference between stopping a fraudulent transaction and losing millions. It also allows us to offer personalized services and make split-second decisions on loan approvals or investment recommendations.

Cost-Effectiveness

By consolidating our data infrastructure, we can reduce overall costs. Instead of maintaining separate systems for data warehousing and big data analytics, a data lakehouse allows us to combine these functions. This not only reduces hardware and software costs but also simplifies our IT infrastructure, leading to lower maintenance and operational costs.

Data Governance

Enhanced ability to implement robust data governance practices, crucial in our highly regulated industry. The unified nature of a data lakehouse makes it easier to apply consistent data quality, security, and privacy measures across all our data. This is particularly important in banking, where we must comply with stringent regulations like GDPR, PSD2, and various national banking regulations.

On-Premise Data Lakehouse Architecture

An on-premise data lakehouse is a data lakehouse architecture implemented within an organization’s own data centers, rather than in the cloud. For many banks, including Akbank, choosing an on-premise solution is often driven by regulatory requirements, data sovereignty concerns, and the need for complete control over our data infrastructure.

Core Components

An on-premise data lakehouse typically consists of four core components:

Data storage layer

Data processing layer

Metadata management

Security and governance

Each of these components plays a crucial role in creating a robust, efficient, and secure data management system.

Data Storage Layer

The storage layer is the foundation of an on-premise data lakehouse. We use a combination of Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS) and object storage solutions to manage our vast data repositories. For structured data, like customer account information and transaction records, we leverage Apache Iceberg. This open table format provides excellent performance for querying and updating large datasets. For our more dynamic data, such as real-time transaction logs, we use Apache Hudi, which allows for upserts and incremental processing.

Data Processing Layer

The data processing layer is where the magic happens. We employ a combination of batch and real-time processing to handle our diverse data needs.

For ETL processes, we use Informatica PowerCenter, which allows us to integrate data from various sources across the bank. We’ve also started incorporating dbt (data build tool) for transforming data in our data warehouse.

Apache Spark plays a crucial role in our big data processing, allowing us to perform complex analytics on large datasets. For real-time processing, particularly for fraud detection and real-time customer insights, we use Apache Flink.

Query and Analytics

To enable our data scientists and analysts to derive insights from our data lakehouse, we’ve implemented Trino for interactive querying. This allows for fast SQL queries across our entire data lake, regardless of where the data is stored.

Metadata Management

Effective metadata management is crucial for maintaining order in our data lakehouse. We use Apache Hive metastore in conjunction with Apache Iceberg to catalog and index our data. We’ve also implemented Amundsen, LinkedIn’s open-source metadata engine, to help our data team discover and understand the data available in our lakehouse.

Security and Governance

In the banking sector, security and governance are paramount. We use Apache Ranger for access control and data privacy, ensuring that sensitive customer data is only accessible to authorized personnel. For data lineage and auditing, we’ve implemented Apache Atlas, which helps us track the flow of data through our systems and comply with regulatory requirements.

Infrastructure Requirements

Implementing an on-premise data lakehouse requires significant infrastructure investment. At Akbank, we’ve had to upgrade our hardware to handle the increased storage and processing demands. This included high-performance servers, robust networking equipment, and scalable storage solutions.

Integration with Existing Systems

One of our key challenges was integrating the data lakehouse with our existing systems. We developed a phased migration strategy, gradually moving data and processes from our legacy systems to the new architecture. This approach allowed us to maintain business continuity while transitioning to the new system.

Performance and Scalability

Ensuring high performance as our data grows has been a key focus. We’ve implemented data partitioning strategies and optimized our query engines to maintain fast query response times even as our data volumes increase.

In our journey to implement an on-premise data lakehouse, we’ve faced several challenges:

Data integration issues, particularly with legacy systems

Maintaining performance as data volumes grow

Ensuring data quality across diverse data sources

Training our team on new technologies and processes

Best Practices

Here are some best practices we’ve adopted:

Implement strong data governance from the start

Invest in data quality tools and processes

Provide comprehensive training for your team

Start with a pilot project before full-scale implementation

Regularly review and optimize your architecture

Looking ahead, we see several exciting trends in the data lakehouse space:

Increased adoption of AI and machine learning for data management and analytics

Greater integration of edge computing with data lakehouses

Enhanced automation in data governance and quality management

Continued evolution of open-source technologies supporting data lakehouse architectures

The on-premise data lakehouse represents a significant leap forward in data management for the banking sector. At Akbank, it has allowed us to unify our data infrastructure, enhance our analytical capabilities, and maintain the highest standards of data security and governance.

As we continue to navigate the ever-changing landscape of banking technology, the data lakehouse will undoubtedly play a crucial role in our ability to leverage data for strategic advantage. For banks looking to stay competitive in the digital age, seriously considering a data lakehouse architecture – whether on-premise or in the cloud – is no longer optional, it’s imperative.

[fsmholidaze]

Pool Hot Tub in Houston Inspiration for a huge contemporary backyard custom-shaped infinity hot tub remodel

[allonsyblue]

Great Room Dining Room Houston

Large fashionable image of a great room with a white floor, white walls, a regular fireplace, and a stone fireplace.

[djraichous]

Contemporary Pool - Pool An illustration of a large, modern, custom-shaped infinity hot tub for the backyard

[atlasmagazine]

Guest Bedroom Houston Bedroom - huge contemporary guest bedroom idea

[enticinglycute]

Pool - Contemporary Pool Example of a huge trendy backyard custom-shaped infinity hot tub design

[stuckonthepuzzlearcticmonkeys]

Formal Living Room in Houston Example of a large trendy formal and open concept living room design with a ribbon fireplace and a stone fireplace

[oldfarmhouse]

There’s something about a historic house at night, standing luminous✨ and proud.

https://www.instagram.com.landschute

#renovation #classichome #architecture #historichome #porch #lakehouse #homebuilder #homedesign

[mimisempai]

I'll find you at the end of the road - Chap 1/8

Summary

Professor Crowley Anthony is about to embark on a new career and a new life at the Rainbow Academy in London. His only regret: giving up the superb cottage he'd rented on the banks of a South Downs lake… 

Before he left, he left a note for the next occupant, asking him to forward his mail and pointing out that the paw prints on the path to the cottage had been there before he moved in. 

Upon taking possession of the cottage, antiquarian Aziraphale Fell immediately falls in love with it, and decides to restore it without paying any further attention to Crowley's mysterious message...

Notes

The Lakehouse AU that nobody asked for.

On Ao3

Rating G -  4869 words

Chap 1 - Chap 2 - Chap 3 - Chap 4 - Chap 5 - Chap 6 - Chap 7 - Last chapter

When two people "connect" the bond between them can be so pure and simple as to stir hearts in heaven.

When they connect in all the right places at all the wrong times, heaven weeps for broken hearts. To heal these broken hearts, heaven breaks time.

—Blithe Spiritus

Crowley took one last look at the lakeside cottage through the rear-view mirror, watching it grow smaller and smaller as he drove away.

His gaze shifted forward to the cage in the passenger seat where Harry, his pet rabbit, was resting. 

He sighed and said quietly, "I hope you like our new home, mate."

If he was honest with himself, he'd said that as much for himself as for the animal; leaving the comfort of the cottage and the quiet surroundings to face the city and a new job was a little nerve-wracking, despite the thrill of novelty and finally being able to practice his chosen profession.

Suddenly he slammed on the brakes, holding the forward sliding cage with one hand. Then he pulled back.

He said in an apologetic tone, "Sorry Harry, I just realised I forgot something."

He backed the car up to the incongruous letterbox that stood in front of the path that led to the cottage.

He'd always been amused by it, wondering what the previous owner's whim had been to put an American mailbox in front of an English cottage. But he'd got used to it, and even the postman had played along, dropping off the mail and raising the little red flag to indicate he'd delivered it.

Crowley grabbed an envelope from beside Harry's cage, then put his hand through the car window, opened the letterbox and put the envelope inside. Then he pulled up the little red flag to indicate that there was mail. All under Harry's watchful eye. 

He tapped the top of the cage and said quietly, "Come on, this time it's for good."

He drove on, accelerating, refusing to watch the sign for the tiny village where his home, Ditchling, was located disappear.  Crowley drove east, the lake behind him, then passed a sign: London - 53 miles.

The traffic increased as he approached the city, and only after maneuvering through the various streets and weaving his way through the London traffic did he finally come to a stop in front of a building on a street that looked quite busy. It was a very new building, cold and sterile. The contrast with the old-fashioned tranquility of Ditchling's cottage was striking and, most of all, a little unsettling to Crowley.

He parked, got out and took a moment to absorb the change in his surroundings. Then, with a sigh, he began to unload his belongings.

**********

The next morning, he paused on the steps at the entrance to the Rainbow Académie, whose name was a surprising contrast to its imposing architecture. He took a deep breath to give himself courage before moving forward, climbing the few steps and pushing open the heavy door. He entered and made his way to what appeared to be the reception desk where a rather busy looking secretary was sitting.

Crowley coughed and asked quietly, "Excuse me?"

"Just a minute, will you?"

She hadn't even looked up to answer him, so Crowley waited a minute, politely, then tried again to get her attention. 

"Ahem... Excuse me, I need to..."

She handed him a stack of papers and said, still not looking at him, "Fill this out and wait for me over there, okay?"

Crowley looked at the outstretched papers, shook his head and handed them back, saying gently, "No, I'm Crowley Anthony, a bit of a strange name, but I'm a new teacher. I was told to report here. I'm starting as an astronomy teacher today."

The secretary replied sheepishly, "Oh, I'm sorry, Professor. You need to find the headmistress, Mrs. Tracy, she should be here. A woman with red hair, dressed in a very... colourful suit, you can't miss her."

Crowley thanked the secretary before heading down the corridor she'd indicated. He did indeed spot the Headmistress fairly quickly, and thought with amusement that the secretary had described her perfectly.

Mrs Tracy wasn't very tall, despite her high heels, but everything about her demeanour, head carriage and posture exuded confidence and authority. After greeting Crowley, she motioned for him to follow. She walked energetically and the new teacher, though taller, found it hard to keep up. No sooner had he arrived in her office than she handed him a large stack of files and said, "You'll be in charge of the sophomores, you'll have three classes to teach this morning and three this afternoon."

Crowley repeated to be sure, "Three?" 

She nodded and replied with a half smile on her lips, "It's a quiet day, for a first day."

Crowley looked a little taken aback, he hadn't thought he'd be jumping right into the thick of things and thought he'd have a bit of time to settle in.

The Headmistress turned as if sensing his hesitation and said gently, "The teacher you replaced left without notice and it took us a while to find the right replacement, so the students lost a lot of time for their final exams. We must do our best for them to succeed."

They left the headmistress' office and, after walking through two hallways, came to another where their attention was drawn to a student sitting alone on a bench, looking sullen. Mrs. Tracy stopped and motioned to a supervisor.

"What's he doing here?"

The supervisor replied, "He's been punished for taking apart a computer to prove Professor Pulsifer wrong, and he has to do an hour's classification in the archives under Professor Device's supervision. However, I can't leave the place unattended, and I was waiting for my replacement to take him there."

Mrs. Tracy said firmly, "Adam, get up."

The boy stood up, still looking sulky, and the headmistress continued, "Professor Anthony, take him to Professor Device in the school library, and then you can begin your lessons in this classroom."

The headmistress pointed to the door of the classroom in question, then turned and walked away without waiting for a reply.

"Well, follow me, Mr...?"

The boy followed suit and replied in a curt tone, "Young, Adam Young. But we're all on a first-name basis here."

Crowley replied with a wink, "Then let's go, Adam the Computer Disassembler." 

He knew that as a teacher here, he couldn't condone what the young man had done, but he couldn't help but find it amusing.

Seeing that the professor didn't look reproachful, Adam lost his pout and, grinning a little, asked boldly, "I didn't get it, is Anthony your first or last name?"

Crowley, used to people's astonishment, replied gently, "My last name, Crowley is my first name."

"Ah, okay. That's pretty cool."

"Thanks, but tell me Adam, I'm very curious to know what could have possessed you to take apart a computer."

Adam animatedly explained to an amused Crowley that Professor Pulsifer, who taught biology, had said that nothing could compare to the complex assemblage that was a living being, and Adam had tried to show him otherwise by dismantling the professor's laptop.

"But I was just about to put it back together, so I don't understand why he got so upset."

Crowley couldn't help but chuckle when Adam suddenly frowned as they arrived at the school library.

The boy muttered, "Welcome to an hour of mortal boredom."

They walked through the door and a young woman with long hair and thick dark glasses approached them, "Adam Young, it's been so long! I missed you so much!" 

Adam grumbled, "I was here yesterday." 

She ruffled Adam's hair as he tried to duck away, then held out her hand to Crowley and said with a big smile on her face, "Professor Device, History Teacher, but call me Anathema. Pleased to meet you. New professor?"

Crowley nodded and replied, "Yes, I'm the new Astronomy teacher, Crowley Anthony, but call me Crowley. I'll leave you to take care of this promising young man," he winked at Adam before continuing, "As for me, I'll be teaching my first class."

"Welcome, and good luck!" Anathema called to him before turning back to Adam, "You go to the third shelf, second row down, I've got three archive boxes for you to sort through, in alphabetical order and without a computer."

Hearing Adam's grumbling, Crowley couldn't help but chuckle as he walked away.

A few minutes later, he paused outside his classroom door and took a deep breath.

"It takes a little time to adjust, but most of the students are exceptional and the staff is very, very nice."

Crowley turned to see who had just spoken.

He found himself face to face with a person who could easily have been mistaken for a student with his indefinable style, average height, slender, with a strange hairstyle that looked as if jay-black hair formed two horns, a kind smile, and sparkling eyes. The newcomer held out his hand and said in a warm voice, "Eric, art teacher, welcome."

Crowley shook it and replied, "Crowley, Astronomy Teacher. 

Eric nodded toward the door, "Good luck," then walked away.

Crowley, feeling motivated by this little interlude, walked confidently through the classroom door, placed his belongings on the desk and, with an engaging smile on his lips, addressed his first students, "Good morning, I'm your new Astronomy teacher and I hope we're going to work well together. 

He paused, glancing over the entire class before continuing, "O Captain! My Captain! Who knows where this came from. Any ideas? It's..."

A girl at the back of the classroom raises her hand.

"Yes...?"

"Pepper, Professor."

"All right, Pepper, I'm listening."

"It's a poem by Walt Whitman about Abraham Lincoln. And it's plagiarism of Professor Keating's introduction played by Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society."

Crowley held back a laugh so as not to lose his authority on the first day and replied in a calm voice, "Thank you, Pepper. I'm pleased to see that my students are quick-witted, and something tells me that we're all going to do a good job together. I won't ask you to call me Captain, Sir, or Professor, just Crowley. And like my namesake, Aleister Crowley, I'll tell you one thing: I'm not interested in herding sheep. So be curious, ask me questions, question what I say if you feel you must. I'm open to discussion, as long as we respect each other."

There was a great silence, then gradually the whole class, including Pepper, began to smile and then the girl gave him a little military salute, mouthing, "Yes, Captain!"

So, as Crowley made his way to the blackboard, he thought to himself that this wasn't such a bad start.

The classes went pretty much the same way throughout the day. But even though most of the classes had been pleasant and smooth, he still felt exhausted by the end of the day. So he dropped into the chair at his assigned desk in the teachers' lounge, before tilting his head back and closing his eyes.

"So, have they worn you out yet?" said the soft voice he recognized as Eric's. 

He opened his eyes to see that the art teacher was sitting right next to him as he continued, "Still, they keep talking about Crowley, the new teacher who's super cool."

"It's been a long time since I've heard of an astronomy teacher who's that good." 

Anathema came over and pulled up a chair to sit in the space between Eric and Crowley.

"The Them?"

Anathema chuckled before answering, "We call them that because since they formed their little gang, they've changed their name so many times we can't keep track, so I can't remember who did it, but that's what we call them now. The Them. They're probably the smartest people in this elite school, and they always stick together for..."

"...for the sake of science," Eric finished.

"That's their argument every time they get caught in one of their escapades," Anathema clarified, kicking off her shoes before gathering her legs under herself.

"Who are the Them made up of," Crowley asked curiously.

Anathema replied, counting on her fingers, "There's the leader of the gang, Adam, who you met this morning, he's in the same class as his three childhood friends, Brian, Wensleydale and Pepper. Pepper, by the way, was talking about the way you introduced your class and was not a little proud to have, as she says, put you in your place. Captain, my captain, isn't it?"

Crowley shrugged and replied, "We do what we can to get their attention, don't we? Anyway, they look interesting to me."

"Wait until you're the butt of one of their pranks, then we'll see if you find these kids interesting," an unfamiliar voice said behind him.

"Newt, dear, did you manage to fix your laptop?" exclaimed Anathema, laughing as the newcomer planted a kiss in her hair before turning to Crowley and extending his hand.

"Professor Anthony, I presume?"

Crowley shook his hand and replied, "Call me Crowley, and I presume you're Professor Pulsifer."

"Newton or Newt, am I that famous?"

Crowley chuckled softly and replied, "It's mostly that I had the pleasure of taking Adam Young to Anathema for his punishment."

"That brat..." Newt growled before continuing, "He's clever... but his habit of proving himself right all the time..."

The other teachers laughed in unison. 

Unaccustomed to being around so many people, and especially such nice people, Crowley felt a little overwhelmed, and suddenly the fatigue of this first day seemed to fall on his shoulders to the point where he had to stifle a yawn. 

Anathema patted him on the shoulder and said: "I have an excellent remedy for that."

He raised an eyebrow and asked, "What is it?"

Eric and Anathema nodded and replied at the same time, “The dirty Monkey.”

At Crowley's confused look, Newt explained, "It's a pub two blocks away with good appetizers, good booze, and as for good company, that's us," he finished with a wink. 

Crowley understood that they were inviting him to join them, but he hesitated and finally replied, shaking his head, "Thank you. I'd better not drink tonight. I'm dead."

The biology professor replied, "We're all dead."

"Yeah, but I just moved in and I've got a lot of unpacking to do." 

They nodded and didn't seem disappointed by his refusal, even rather understanding. Crowley really wasn't used to this kind of company and the warmth of their gaze eased the feeling of loneliness that seemed to be his constant companion.        

Eric placed a hand on his arm and said quietly, "Next time, then."

Crowley, not understanding why his throat was tight, nodded and said quietly but firmly, "Don't doubt it."

Moments later, they parted outside the school gates, Crowley on one side and the group of his new colleagues on the other.

"Goodbye Crowley!"

"See you tomorrow, Captain!"

"Bye Crowley!"

Crowley lived only three blocks from the school and soon arrived home. As he entered, he realized how sterile and cold his large apartment seemed, especially after the moments he had spent in the company of his new colleagues.

He hadn't lied when he said he hadn't had time to unpack yet, and there were boxes scattered everywhere. The first thing he had unpacked was Harry's basket, although the rabbit often ended up sleeping at Crowley's feet.

As he closed the door, he heard Harry's typical little pawing noises and then felt the rabbit immediately come to sniff his feet before rubbing up against his legs as usual. He scratched Harry's head between his ears and headed for the kitchen. Harry was a rabbit with spotless white fluffy fur, and if it was true that Crowley had wanted a dog first, he didn't regret having Harry as a companion. One day, the rabbit had unexpectedly come into his life and quickly endeared himself to him and invaded his life.

Crowley opened the fridge, which was desperately empty except for a portion of vegetables for Harry. He put it on a plate and set it on the floor, commenting, "We need rabbit food and human food too.

He would have to go shopping tomorrow.

After munching on a packet of crisps, exhausted, he took a quick shower before heading to his room.

His room was as functional and depressing as the rest of the place. He went to the window. Outside there was nothing but stone buildings. It was very difficult to see the sky. 

He sighed before muttering, "What a view..." then pulled down the blinds and lay down. As soon as his head was on the pillow, he heard Harry's little pitter-patter and then felt the mattress move as the rabbit landed beside him before crawling along his body. Harry sniffed his face a few times and then returned to press himself against his feet. 

"At least you seem to be getting back into your routine quickly, little rascal. Good night, Harry."

Crowley fell asleep very quickly, which prevented him from thinking too much about all that he was missing.

An old yellow Beetle that looked like it had lived a long time drove past Ditchling's sign and parked at the side of the road leading to the cottage. It was full of moving boxes and was pulling a trailer full of furniture. 

A man with blond hair and a suit as old-fashioned as his car got out with a cheerful expression. He walked up to the lakeside cottage and stopped, hands on hips, taking in the view. 

Then he walked on, opened the door of the cottage, looked for the electric panel, and when he found it, turned it on and went to turn on the lights in the foyer, then in what appeared to be the living room.

Aziraphale looked around and rubbed his hands together in satisfaction. There wasn't much there. A stereo, a few books, an armchair. But the bare, cozy furnishings were a perfect match for the austere beauty of the little house. 

He looked out the window at the lake and immediately knew he was going to like it here.

It took him a good four hours to unload the car and trailer and set up almost everything he'd brought with him. When he was done, he took the thermos of tea he'd brought with him and poured himself a cup, inhaling it with pleasure. He was already feeling at home.

As he sipped his tea, he quietly walked around the house, taking in the place. When he was done, he decided it was time to stock his cupboard and fridge, and got into his car to go shopping at the local grocery store he'd spotted on his way in.

A short time later, after walking around the store with his groceries in his arms, he set them down on the counter.

Behind it stood two men, both bearded, one with short hair and one with long hair, the latter kindly asking him, "Hello, are you new here?"

Aziraphale smiled and replied, "More or less. My name is Aziraphale." 

The owner replied, "My name is Bill, and this is my husband, Frank.

Frank smiled and added, "You're going to love it here. Especially now that the weather is warming up." Then, pointing to the groceries, he added, "We'll get you some boxes for all this."

"Oh, thank you," Aziraphale replied.

Frank moved to get an empty box from a high shelf, and now that he was no longer hidden by the counter, Aziraphale noticed that he was moving with a cane, and Bill rushed over and said, "No, dear, let me do it."

Frank shook his head and replied, "I have trouble walking, but I can still climb a ladder."

Suddenly, they both stopped as the sound of a baby crying came through the baby monitor that Aziraphale hadn't noticed next to the cash register.

Frank chuckled and said to Bill, "Your turn, Daddy."

Bill grumbled, and as Frank went to get the boxes for Aziraphale to put his groceries in, the other man returned with the crying baby in his arms. Aziraphale, who adored children, approached and, looking at the baby, who must have been barely 6 months old, said softly, "Oh, how adorable! What's his name?"

"Joel."

Aziraphale moved his finger forward to stroke the baby's cheek, but Joel caught his finger firmly.

"I think he likes you."

They chatted a little longer as the baby's cries subsided, then Aziraphale paid, picked up his box, and left, not without promising the couple he'd be back. He glanced in the rearview mirror, touched to see the little family waving at the front of the store, making him even more aware of his own loneliness. 

He parked again in front of the small path leading to the cottage and noticed the mailbox with the flag up. He stopped and opened it. There was an envelope.

For the new tenant.

He brought in the groceries, put them away, made himself a tray of finger sandwiches, took the letter, and sat down in the chair in front of the bay window. He placed his tray on a small table nearby, opened the letter and began to read. 

Dear new tenant.

Hello and welcome to your new home and congratulations, blah blah blah. You've made an excellent choice, Ditchling is a wonderful place and this house is a gem, as you may have noticed.

I'm sure you're going to love living here as much as I have.

I'm the former tenant, Crowley.

Aziraphale looked puzzled, but also pleasantly surprised; even though he would probably never meet this person, it was nice to get a little personal mail. He read on.

The post office usually forwards my mail, but if anything should happen here, because the post office is what it is and you're never sure, my new address is below. Thank you very much.

Aziraphale flipped it over.

P.S.: Sorry about the paw prints leading to the front door. They were there when I moved in, as was the box in the attic. I think it belongs to the owner. 

Aziraphale looked at the letter with amusement and couldn't help but check the last words.

He went to the front door and looked at the floor, but saw no paw prints and the floor was clean, inside and out. 

Confused, he scratched the back of his head before heading for the ladder that led to the attic. He opened the trapdoor, stuck his head through and looked around. The attic was empty. No box.

He climbed back down, shrugged, crumpled up the letter and threw it away. It probably wasn't addressed to him. A little disappointed, he finished his meal in a less than cheerful mood and went to bed.

The next morning, as he was polishing a gramophone before displaying it in the window, he couldn't stop thinking about that letter and its more or less strange ending, when he was interrupted by the doorbell indicating that someone had entered the shop.

He put down the cloth, wiped his hands on his apron, and went into the shop.

"Good morning, Aziraphale! I made lunch, would you like to share?"

It was the cheerful and somewhat pushy Arthur. Arthur Brown, the owner of the carpet store almost across the street from his own.

He replied, struggling to hide his annoyance at being interrupted from a task he loved, "I can't, I have an urgent job to finish."

"Oh come on Aziraphale, there's nothing urgent about an old... an old well, an old thing you must have discovered at I don't know which old lady's house around here."

"It's urgent for me."

The carpet merchant poutted disappointedly and sighed before replying, "Well, okay..." and heading for the door, before turning abruptly and asking, "Is it true you bought a house? Where is it? What's it like?"

Aziraphale rolled his eyes, but he wasn't surprised because he'd expected these questions. He'd told Maggie, the owner of the vinyl store next door, about his new home and she, of course, had told her girlfriend, Nina. Since Nina owned the coffee shop on that strip, the news must have spread like wildfire.

He replied, "It's an isolated cottage near a village called Ditchling."

Arthur exclaimed, "Are you crazy, isolating yourself like that?"

Aziraphale replied rather curtly, "This is what I want, and I already feel at home there. And now, if you don't mind, I'll get back to my work, which is not urgent." 

He walked briskly to his workshop, annoyed at the criticism of his choice, and didn't even hear the door close.

Even though it would take him almost two hours to get to the lakeside cottage, he had decided to go there every day to clean, tidy, and renovate it as quickly as possible, and he had fairly flexible hours, like today, Monday, when the shop was closed in the afternoon. So, after a light lunch in the shop, he set off for Ditchling, and as the weather was rather pleasant, he decided to repaint the faded railings that lined the little path leading up to the front door. This manual labor, like his work on the objects in his antique shop, gave him something to take his mind off things.

A few hours later, as the day wore on, Aziraphale knelt on the steps and finished applying a first coat of paint to the boards he had previously sanded, removing the old, peeling green paint. He finished, pleased with the result, and began to put away his equipment.

Behind him, a small rabbit hopped along the path, but Aziraphale didn't immediately notice it. Before Aziraphale could react, it hopped right into the tray where Aziraphale was wiping the excess paint from his brush and continued on, leaving a trail of paw prints behind it. 

"Hey! Stop!"

Aziraphale ran after the rabbit, trying to catch it, but it ran right into the cottage, whose door had been left half-open. Aziraphale started to follow, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the ground at his feet. 

There was now a trail of rabbit paw prints leading to the front door. 

He rushed to the wastebasket and rifled through it for a few seconds before finding what he was looking for. Holding his breath, he stared at the letter for a few moments without reacting. 

Sorry about the paw prints leading to the front door. They were there when I moved in, as was the box in the attic. I think it belongs to the owner. 

Aziraphale stared at the crumpled letter in his hand for a long moment.

Crowley went for lunch to a park he had discovered not far from the school. It was quite warm for the time of year, so he unbuttoned his jacket and the first two buttons of his shirt as he walked quietly, hoping to find a free bench.

He only found one that was quite close to the road, but it was better than nothing and enough to enjoy his lunch break. So he began unwrapping his sandwich while flipping through the newspaper, then stretched his long legs out in front of him and sighed in satisfaction, enjoying this moment of quiet, even though the place was rather crowded due to the unusually nice weather.

After finishing his sandwich, Crowley closed his eyes for a moment, letting the sunlight warm him. He wasn't asleep, and he was aware of the sounds around him, like the water in the fountain, the splashing and laughing of children playing in it, an old man grumbling about global warming, the ducks quacking on the small pond nearby, hoping to get a few crumbs from those who, like Crowley, had decided to eat lunch here. 

Suddenly, this harmony was shattered by a horrible sound: a high-pitched screech and a car horn brought Crowley to his feet. He opened his eyes abruptly and looked around.

On the side of the road, just a few feet from his bench, he spotted whatever was responsible for the noise. A double-decker city bus was visibly trying to stop. It was going quite fast, but the driver was clearly trying to brake.

Crowley took in everything - the noise, the bus, the drivers, the passengers screaming from above - before noticing a man standing on the side of the road directly in the path of the bus. There was nothing to be done, it was inevitable and almost instantaneous, the man was hit by the bus and Crowley watched in horror as his distant silhouette flew ten or fifteen feet into the air before crashing to the pavement. The faint sound of the impact reached Crowley a half-second later because of the distance.

Crowley automatically pulled out his cell phone and dialed 999. As he ran toward the point of impact, he relayed all the information to the rescue team, trying to remain calm. 

After hanging up the phone, feeling as if his feet were glued to the ground, he continued to run toward the lifeless body.

_________

Still not beta'd

Still not my native language

Still hoping you'll enjoy this story  🥰

Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝

Ineffable Husbands masterlist : here

[rajaniesh]

Real-World Application of Data Mesh with Databricks Lakehouse

Explore how a global reinsurance leader transformed its data systems with Data Mesh and Databricks Lakehouse for better operations and decision-making.

[keepingitneutral]

New Forest House, New Forest National Park, United Kingdom,

PAD studio

[ceramiccity]

Marble Falls Lakehouse Escape

Blue Lake Retreat in Marble Falls - Modern treehouse architecture with balcony, couple enjoying nature Follow Ceramic City on Tumblr Source: https://soudasouda.tumblr.com/post/750145768814526464/blue-lake-retreat-in-marble-falls-follow-souda-on

[jeanie-g]

how to combat cabin fever, please!

yes! i started this one back when jack was put on ir at the end of the season. it follows him being stuck at the lakehouse battling an intense case of fomo. i organized it into a series of "steps" from an actual article about beating cabin fever, which is fun. of my wips, it's def on the "actually almost done" side lol. here's a snippet from the first step, "give yourself a routine":

Jack ends up on the couch with his tupperware and a fork—no need to dirty a bowl, after all—feet propped up on the ottoman and TV tuned to some home improvement show that caught his eye last week that he can’t get enough of. He doesn’t know shit about architecture or interior design, but it’s strangely satisfying to see how the houses change so drastically—the difference that a removed wall or darker shade of paint can make to a living space. Not to mention some of the truly whacky decor the designers end up going with.

It’s made Jack look around his own spaces with a more artistic eye. The lakehouse he knows he can’t touch—Quinn would have an aneurism if he knew Jack changed anything, even though he paid for half of it—but his apartment back in JC leaves a lot to be desired. It's not like he’s gonna take a sledgehammer to his walls or anything—he would definitely not get his deposit back—but he could shift a few things around, open up the space, bring it to its full utilitarian potential, like Genevieve—one half of the show’s husband-wife duo—always says. Jack had to look up what “utilitarian” meant, but after that, he agreed with her. Hopefully, when he actually moves back in in September, he won’t need help actually doing the moving-things-around bit.

Jack's been feeling productive these past couple of days. It's a marked difference from this time four months ago, when they were still in the race for a playoff spot and Jack had to sit on the sidelines with a bum wrist and a permanent frown. He’s feeling better than he was just two weeks ago, when he woke up from surgery with the news that they were officially eliminated, and he couldn't find it in himself to truly be upset.

But, he’s not thinking about that right now. He’s thinking about how he’s going to redecorate. And he’s thinking about how lucky he is to get to watch Quinn in the playoffs for the first time. It’s just him and Luke in the house right now, his parents coming up in a week, but they’re watching eagerly from home, too. Until then, he gets to sit back, take the pain medication for his fuck ass shoulder that’s contained in an uncomfortable sling, and watch Genevieve and Ivan flip a mid-century bungalow in desperate need of re-shingling.

thanks for the ask, anon!!

[govindhtech]

Big Lake Storage: An Open Data Lakehouse on Google Cloud

Large Lake Storage

Built open, high-performance, enterprise Big Lake storage Lakehouses iceberg native

Businesses may use Apache Iceberg to develop open, high-performance, enterprise-grade data lakehouses on Google Cloud with recent Big Lake storage engine improvements. Customers no longer have to choose between completely managed, enterprise-grade storage management and open formats like Apache Iceberg.

Businesses want adaptive, open, and interoperable architectures that let several engines work on a single copy of data while data management is revolutionised. Apache Iceberg is a popular open table style. The latest Big Lake storage development offers Apache Iceberg access to Google's infrastructure, enabling open data lakehouses.

Major advances include:

BigLake Metastore is normally available: BigLake Metastore, formerly BigQuery, is now public. This completely managed, serverless, and scalable solution simplifies runtime metadata maintenance and operations for BigQuery and other Iceberg-compatible engines. Use of Google's global metadata management infrastructure reduces the need to control proprietary metastore implementation. BigLake Metastore is necessary for open interoperability.

Iceberg REST Catalogue API Preview Introduction: To complement the GA Custom Iceberg Catalogue, the Iceberg REST Catalogue (Preview) provides a standard REST interface for interoperability. Users, including Spark users, can use the BigLake metastore as a serverless Iceberg catalogue. The Custom Iceberg Catalogue lets Spark and other open-source engines connect with Apache Iceberg and BigQuery BigLake tables.

Google Cloud is simplifying lakehouse upkeep using Apache Iceberg and Google Cloud Storage management. Cloud Storage features like auto-class tiering, encryption, and automatic table maintenance including compaction and trash collection are supported. This enhances Iceberg data management in Cloud Storage.

BigQuery usually has Apache Iceberg BigLake tables: These publicly available tables combine BigQuery's scalable, real-time metadata with Iceberg formats' transparency. This enables BigQuery's Write API's high-throughput streaming ingestion and zero-latency reads at tens of GiB/second. It also has automatic table management (compaction, garbage collection), native Vertex AI interface, auto-reclustering speed improvements, and future fine-grained DML and multi-table transactions (coming soon in preview). These tables maintain Iceberg's openness while providing controlled, enterprise-ready functionality. BigLake automatically creates and registers an Apache Iceberg V2 metadata snapshot in its metastore. This snapshot updates automatically after edits.

BigLake natively supports Dataplex Universal Catalogue for AI-Powered Governance. This interface provides consistent and fine-grained access restrictions to apply Dataplex governance standards across engines. Direct Cloud Storage access supports table-level access control, whereas BigQuery can use Storage API connectors for open-source engines for finer control. Dataplex integration improves BigQuery and BigLake Iceberg table governance with search, discovery, profiling, data quality checks, and end-to-end data lineage. Dataplex simplifies data discovery with AI-generated insights and semantic search. End-to-end governance benefits are automatic and don't require registration.

The BigLake metastore enables interoperability with BigQuery, AlloyDB (preview), Spark, and Flink. This increased compatibility allows AlloyDB users to easily consume analytical BigLake tables for Apache Iceberg from within AlloyDB (Preview). PostgreSQL users can link real-time AlloyDB transactional data with rich analytical data for operational and AI-driven use cases.

CME Group Executive Director Zenul Pomal noted, “We needed teams throughout the company to access data in a consistent and secure way – regardless of where it stored or what technologies they were using.” They used Google's BigLake. BigLake from Google was clear. The uniform layer for accessing data and a fully managed experience with enterprise capabilities via BigQuery are available without moving or duplicating data, whether the data is in traditional tables or open table formats like Apache Iceberg. Metadata quality is critical as it explores gen AI applications. BigLake Metastore and Data Catalogue help us preserve high-quality metadata.

At Google Cloud Next '25, Google Cloud announced support for change data capture, multi-statement transactions, and fine-grained DML in the coming months.

Google Cloud is evolving BigLake into a comprehensive storage engine that uses open-source, third-party, and Google Cloud services by eliminating trade-offs between open and managed data solutions. This boosts data and AI innovation.