AI engineering glossary · Data engineering
What is schema on read?
Schema on read: An approach where data is stored without enforcing a structure and the structure is applied only when it is queried. It allows fast ingestion of varied data, but errors in shape surface later at query time.
Schema on read: an example
Raw JSON logs are dumped into a lake, and each analyst defines the fields they need in their own query.
Related terms
More Data engineering terms
- Schema on write
- Sensor
- Shuffle
- Slowly changing dimension
- Small files problem
- Snowflake
- Snowflake schema
- Star schema
Where you learn it
Schema on read is part of the AI Engineering Program, which teaches it with notes, a hands-on lab and an exam. The first lesson is free.