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Data & Analytics · Intermediate

Data Virtualization

Querying data in place across multiple sources through a unified layer, without physically copying it.

Definition

Virtualization delivers real-time access and avoids data duplication, but performance depends on the sources and the network. Examples include PolyBase, Trino, Fabric shortcuts and mirroring, Databricks Lakehouse Federation and BigQuery Omni.

Exam tip

When data must stay in place and copies are not allowed, choose virtualization or federation.

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