February 2021 Summaries

The Hive connector in Starburst Enterprise, which builds on the Trino platform, is designed to read data from object storage organized according to Hive's specifications without relying on Hive's runtime code. This connector addresses the slow query turnaround associated with traditional Hive clusters by replacing the Hive runtime with Trino's engine while retaining components like the Hive Metastore Service (HMS) to handle metadata. The HMS, a simple service using the Thrift protocol, updates metadata stored in relational databases and is essential for managing data in storage systems such as AWS S3, Google Cloud Storage, and MinIO. The architecture allows for a seamless transition from Hive to Trino, enabling faster interactive queries over large datasets without altering the storage or metadata management components. While Starburst's Hive connector shares similarities with its open-source counterpart, it includes additional features like Ranger security integration for enhanced role-based access control.

Starburst Galaxy, announced at Datanova, is a new cloud-native service designed to provide fast and secure access to all organizational data without the need for data movement or duplication. Built on the open-source Trino project, previously known as PrestoSQL, Starburst Galaxy enables analytics across data lakes and warehouses and supports multi-cloud environments. Users can easily access data from various sources through an intuitive interface, benefiting from reduced infrastructure management, minimized data movement, and enhanced decision-making capabilities. The platform also offers robust security features, including authentication and fine-grained access control, ensuring data governance without compromising speed. The public beta is now available for those interested in exploring the platform's capabilities.