Spotlight

Report:

The Forrester Wave™: Enterprise Data Fabric, Q1 2024

How does Forrester define the Enterprise Data Fabric market in 2024?

The enterprise data fabric market has evolved to support new and emerging use cases with over two dozen new vendors entering since 2022. Vendors now provide comprehensive, unified capabilities with end-to-end data management incorporating advances in generative AI/LLMs, data intelligence, persona-based UIs, semantic integration, global transaction management, and seamless integration. Enterprises leverage data fabric for customer experience, data science, IoT insights, global transactions, fraud prevention, business 360, and real-time insights. The market shows a notable shift from read-only analytical use cases toward transactional fabric with bidirectional read-and-write capabilities for modern applications.

Key Facts for The Forrester Wave™: Enterprise Data Fabric, Q1 2024 in 2024

How did the Enterprise Data Fabric market evolve in 2024?

What product features are required to be included in this year's evaluation?

What are the common features of top products in the Enterprise Data Fabric space?

No common features specified.

Scope Exclusions

Inclusion Criteria

Vendors must, among other requirements:

Offering Strengths — Relative Weighting

Strategy Strength — Relative Weighting

FAQs

Q: What does this research cover?

A: This research covers a 26-criterion evaluation of 15 enterprise data fabric providers, assessing their current offerings, strategy, and market presence. The evaluation encompasses the latest innovations including generative AI/LLM capabilities, data intelligence, persona-based UIs, semantic integration, global transaction management, and seamless integration of the data fabric experience. It evaluates vendors across categories including Leaders, Strong Performers, and Contenders.

Q: Who should use this research?

A: Data management professionals should use this research to select the right enterprise data fabric provider for their needs. It helps organizations evaluate vendors based on specific criteria such as end-to-end integration capabilities, built-in semantics for faster deployment, genAI/LLM capabilities, performance and scale, deployment options, data management features, and support for various use cases including customer 360, real-time analytics, data science, IoT insights, and operational intelligence.

Q: What are the mandatory features of vendors included in this market?

A: Enterprise data fabric solutions must include comprehensive data management capabilities: data access, discovery, transformation, catalog, integration, pipeline, preparation, security, governance, and orchestration. Solutions must ingest, process, and curate data across platforms like Apache Hadoop, EDW, NoSQL, Apache Spark, data lakes, ObjectStore, and in-memory technologies. Vendors must have customers using the solution in scaled production for use cases such as real-time analytics, data integration, customer 360, data sharing/collaboration, and operational insights.

Q: What are some reasons for not being included in this report?

A:

  • Lack of Forrester mindshare through enterprise client interactions in past 12 months
  • Missing core enterprise data fabric capabilities
  • No customers with scaled production deployments
  • Generic data platforms without comprehensive unified capabilities
  • Insufficient end-to-end data management features
  • Lack of support for required use cases in production environments

Q: What should buyers consider when evaluating products in this market?

A:

  • End-to-end integrated fabric experience with streaming, orchestration, transformation, preparation, data catalogs, integration, governance, and security through single pane of glass
  • Built-in semantics including industry data models, knowledge graphs, master data management integration, and integrated metadata for faster time to value
  • GenAI/LLM capabilities with production deployment references including natural language query, code generation, vector search, and data intelligence
  • Support for both analytical and transactional use cases with bidirectional read-and-write capabilities
  • Hybrid and multicloud deployment options
  • Persona-based UI for different user types
  • Strong partner ecosystem for complex deployments
  • Proven scalability and performance for enterprise workloads

Q: How has the Enterprise Data Fabric market evolved in 2024?

A:

  • Influx of over two dozen new vendors offering fabric capabilities since 2022
  • Rising demand for data fabric across all industries including financial services, retail, healthcare, manufacturing, oil and gas, and energy
  • Organizations leveraging data fabric for multiple use cases (occasionally a dozen or more)
  • Notable shift from read-only analytical use cases toward transactional fabric with bidirectional read-and-write capabilities
  • Integration of generative AI/LLMs capabilities including natural language query, code generation, vector search, and data intelligence
  • Emphasis on semantically driven data with built-in industry data models, knowledge graphs, and master data management integration
  • Focus on end-to-end integrated fabric experience through single pane of glass with persona-based UI
  • Support for modern applications such as microservices and real-time customer experience

Q: What differentiates Strength of Offering vs. Strength of Strategy?

A: Current Offering evaluates the strength of existing product capabilities including end-to-end integration, performance, scale, deployment options, data management features, and technical capabilities. Strategy evaluates forward-looking aspects including vendor vision, innovation trajectory, product roadmap, partner ecosystem strength, market adoption, and pricing approach.

Reference

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