Data Virtualization is an alternative technology of transforming available data into the form needed for reporting and analytics. It requires fewer databases and fewer transformation processes.

Data virtualization software acts as a bridge across multiple, diverse data sources, bringing critical decision-making data together in one virtual place to fuel analytics. Data virtualization provides a modern data layer that enables users to access, combine, transform, and deliver datasets with breakthrough speed and cost-effectiveness. Data virtualization technology gives users fast access to data housed throughout the enterprise—including in traditional databases, big data sources, and cloud and IoT systems—at a fraction of physical warehousing and extract/transform/load (ETL) time and cost.