Compare Apache Iceberg vs. Tabular

Iceberg is an advanced format designed for managing extensive analytical tables efficiently. It combines the dependability and ease of SQL tables with the capabilities required for big data, enabling multiple engines such as Spark, Trino, Flink, Presto, Hive, and Impala to access and manipulate the same tables concurrently without issues. The format allows for versatile SQL operations to incorporate new data, modify existing records, and execute precise deletions. Additionally, Iceberg can optimize read performance by eagerly rewriting data files or utilize delete deltas to facilitate quicker updates. It also streamlines the complex and often error-prone process of generating partition values for table rows while automatically bypassing unnecessary partitions and files. Fast queries do not require extra filtering, and the structure of the table can be adjusted dynamically as data and query patterns evolve, ensuring efficiency and adaptability in data management. This adaptability makes Iceberg an essential tool in modern data workflows.

Tabular is an innovative open table storage solution designed by the same team behind Apache Iceberg, allowing seamless integration with various computing engines and frameworks. By leveraging this technology, users can significantly reduce both query times and storage expenses, achieving savings of up to 50%. It centralizes the enforcement of role-based access control (RBAC) policies, ensuring data security is consistently maintained. The platform is compatible with multiple query engines and frameworks, such as Athena, BigQuery, Redshift, Snowflake, Databricks, Trino, Spark, and Python, offering extensive flexibility. With features like intelligent compaction and clustering, as well as other automated data services, Tabular further enhances efficiency by minimizing storage costs and speeding up query performance. It allows for unified data access at various levels, whether at the database or table. Additionally, managing RBAC controls is straightforward, ensuring that security measures are not only consistent but also easily auditable. Tabular excels in usability, providing robust ingestion capabilities and performance, all while maintaining effective RBAC management. Ultimately, it empowers users to select from a variety of top-tier compute engines, each tailored to their specific strengths, while also enabling precise privilege assignments at the database, table, or even column level. This combination of features makes Tabular a powerful tool for modern data management.