What you'll learn

Today’s organizations face an overwhelming array of big data technologies, making it difficult for new data professionals to know where to start. In this course, Big Data Foundations: The Modern Data Ecosystem, you’ll gain the ability to confidently navigate and design modern big data architectures. First, you’ll explore the key layers of the modern data stack, including storage, ingestion, processing, orchestration, and consumption, and learn about the major platforms and services in each layer. Next, you’ll discover how these components work together by building end-to-end data workflows: from ingesting raw data, storing it in data lakes or warehouses, processing it with tools like Spark or SQL query engines, to finally analyzing it with BI tools, all coordinated through orchestration. Finally, you’ll learn how to evaluate different architectural approaches for big data–understanding how choices around centralization vs. decentralization, governance, and tool selection impact scalability and business outcomes. When you’re finished with this course, you’ll have the skills and knowledge to design and contribute to modern data pipelines and platforms that suit your organization’s needs, with a clear understanding of the current data ecosystem and its best practices.