What is the focus of a data warehouse compared to a data lake?

The focus of a data warehouse is indeed on storing structured data that is ready for analysis. This environment is specifically designed to facilitate querying and reporting, making it ideal for business intelligence applications. Data warehouses typically use a schema to organize data into tables with predefined relationships, which promotes efficiency in analysis and reporting processes.

In contrast to data lakes, which can store unstructured or semi-structured data and often do so without rigorous upfront schema designs, data warehouses emphasize a more organized approach. They allow organizations to access clean, consistent data that has already been processed and transformed, ensuring that users can derive insights quickly and accurately.

Storing structured data in a data warehouse enables advanced analytical processes, aggregates, and complex queries, supporting decision-making with relevant historical information that is accurately structured.