What is SQL on Anything?

SQL on anything describes a data federation approach that uses standard SQL to query and join data across disparate systems, including warehouses, lakes, operational databases, streaming platforms, and SaaS applications, without first copying everything into a central repository. Powered by compute engines such as Trino and enabled through source-specific connectors, federation can reduce delays associated with building data pipelines, preserve flexibility across hybrid, acquired, and regulated data environments, and provide broader context for analytics and AI applications. The approach does not eliminate the need for centralization, which remains useful for stable governed datasets, high-performance dashboards, model training data, and long-term historical records, but makes it a workload-specific choice rather than a default requirement. Effective federated access also depends on centralized governance measures such as row-level filters, column masking, role- or attribute-based access controls, semantic definitions, and unified audit trails, helping reduce risks introduced by duplicated data copies. Starburst presents Galaxy for managed cloud deployments and Enterprise for self-managed private, hybrid, or on-premises environments, both offering federated SQL through Trino.

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