One of the problems with any Big Data platform is that the information that resides it in is usually only accessible to small number of people in the business. Aster Data, a provider of a massively parallel database platform, is trying to change that via an alliance with Tableau Software, which markets a set of visually-oriented business intelligence applications.

Stephanie McReynolds, director of product marketing for Aster Data, says MPP platform and BI software adoption could mutually benefit from tighter integration. One of the primary reasons that adoption of BI tools has been limited is because most business users are comfortable working with data sets that can for the most part be handled by spreadsheets. But if larger sets of data can be made more readily accessible, then adoption of both BI software and massively parallel database platforms such as Aster Data’s nCluster platform could increase as business users move to analyze larger sets of data in order to have more confidence in business decisions.

This integration creates a twofold opportunity for solution providers. The first is the deployment of BI software, while second is the installation of a new type of database platform. What makes the Aster Data nCluster platform is that it supports both the SQL and MapReduce interfaces to give customers the option of using a traditional database query language or the MapReduce interface that was developed specifically for handling large amounts of data using frameworks such as Hadoop.

Big Data is a major new trend in the enterprise as business customers of all sizes try to find less expensive ways of analyzing large amounts of data. And while there may be resistance in some quarters to so-called “No SQL” approaches to analyzing this type of data, the fact of the matter is that when it comes to data management, a significant amount of diversity in approaches to managing data is creating new opportunities for solution providers in the channel.