Data is growing faster than most organizations’ ability to manage it. At the same time, business leaders are under pressure to deliver insights quickly and cost‑effectively.

Traditional, closed systems often make that harder: they lock data into proprietary formats, increase duplication and limit flexibility.

That’s why open data architecture is gaining traction. It’s an approach built on open file formats and interoperable tools, so your data remains portable and accessible. For many organizations, this means:

• Lower costs by reducing storage duplication and avoiding vendor lock.
• Faster insights by analyzing data where it lives, instead of moving it around.
• Futureproofing your ecosystem so you can adopt new technologies without starting over.

Parquet, DuckDB and DuckLake: Small tools, big impact

Three names you’ll hear often in this space are Parquet, DuckDB and DuckLake. Here’s what they are:

• Apache Parquet is a free, open-source, column-oriented data storage format designed for efficient data processing and analytics. It provides high compression rates thus saving money on storage costs.
• DuckDB is a lightweight analytics engine that runs where your data is; no big cluster required. It’s designed for speed and simplicity, making it ideal for exploring data in open formats like Parquet.
• DuckLake builds on that by adding structure and governance features, such as snapshots and time travel, without the complexity of traditional lakehouse systems.

Together, they make it easier to work with open data at scale. Organizations using these technologies report significant time savings and reduced infrastructure costs. This is proof that “open” doesn’t have to mean “slow” or “fragile.”

Read my recent blog, Keep Calm and Duck On – Your Lakehouse Just Got Smarter

Openness brings its own challenges

Of course, moving to an open architecture isn’t just a matter of flipping a switch. Common hurdles include:

• Governance and compliance: How do you maintain trust and track lineage across distributed systems?
• Performance at enterprise scale: Lightweight tools are great for exploration, but production workloads often need more horsepower.
• Operational complexity: Stitching together multiple components can create risk if not managed carefully.
• Structure and manageability: Many data teams rely on formats and labels on their data; open file formats don’t necessarily support these features.

These challenges don’t mean you should avoid open data. They just highlight the need for a thoughtful approach.

Bringing harmony to the mix

Think of your data ecosystem like an orchestra. Open data tools, such as Parquet, DuckDB and DuckLake, are the instruments. Each one is powerful in its own right, but without coordination, the result can be noisy and unpredictable.

That’s where a platform like SAS® Viya® plays the role of conductor. It doesn’t replace the instruments; it brings them together, ensuring everything stays in sync. Viya provides governance, security, and the ability to operationalize analytics, so the music sounds the way it should.

And what about the concert hall? That’s where SAS SpeedyStore comes in. For moments when performance matters most like, real‑time decisions, high‑concurrency workloads, you need an environment designed to amplify and project the sound without distortion. SpeedyStore gives you that optimized space, while still connecting seamlessly to your open data foundation.

Why this trio works:

• Open keeps costs in check, performance high, and choices open.
• SAS Viya makes it safe, governable, and deployable across the data‑to‑decision lifecycle.
• SAS SpeedyStore accelerates the “hot path” where you need sub‑second to minutes latency, high concurrency, and durable transactional semantics, without abandoning your open lakehouse.

Why this matters for business leaders

The takeaway isn’t that you need to choose between open tools and enterprise platforms. The real opportunity lies in combining the flexibility of open data with the reliability and scale of a governed platform. That’s how organizations can innovate quickly without sacrificing trust or performance.

Want to learn more? Here are a few additional resources:

• Webinar: Learn how SAS Viya integrates with DuckDB to make open data enterprise‑ready.
• Product spotlight: Learn how SpeedyStore accelerates time‑sensitive workloads without adding complexity.