Confluent have formally announced the general availability of Tableflow, which brings real-time business context to analytical systems to make AI and next-generation applications enterprise-ready.
With Tableflow, all streaming data in Confluent Cloud can be accessed in popular open table formats, unlocking limitless possibilities for advanced analytics, real-time artificial intelligence (AI), and next-generation applications.
Support for Apache Iceberg™ is now generally available (GA). And as a result of an expanded partnership with Databricks, a new early access program for Delta Lake is now open. Additionally, Tableflow now offers enhanced data storage flexibility and seamless integrations with leading catalog providers, including AWS Glue Data Catalog and Snowflake’s managed service for Apache Polaris™, Snowflake Open Catalog.
“At Confluent, we’re all about making your data work for you, whenever you need it and in whatever format is required,” said Shaun Clowes, Chief Product Officer at Confluent. “With Tableflow, we’re bringing our expertise of connecting operational data to the analytical world. Now, data scientists and data engineers have access to a single, real-time source of truth across the enterprise, making it possible to build and scale the next generation of AI-driven applications.”
Bridging the Data Gap for Enterprise-Ready AI
Tableflow simplifies the integration between operational data and analytical systems. It continuously updates tables used for analytics and AI with the exact same data from business applications connected to Confluent Cloud.
Within Confluent, processing and governance happen as data is generated, shifting these tasks upstream to ensure that only high-quality, consistent data is used to feed data lakes and warehouses. This is a breakthrough for AI, as it’s only as powerful as the data that shapes it.
Today, Confluent announces significant updates to Tableflow:
● Support for Apache Iceberg is ready for production workloads. Teams can now instantly represent Apache Kafka® topics as Iceberg tables to feed any data warehouse, data lake, or analytics engine for real-time or batch processing use cases. Expensive and error-prone table maintenance tasks, such as compaction, are automatically handled by Tableflow, giving time back to data engineers to deliver more business value. It also provides a single source of truth for one of the most widely adopted open-format storage options, enabling data scientists and data engineers to scale AI innovation and next-generation applications.
● New Early Access Program for Delta Lake is now open. This open-format storage layer, pioneered by Databricks, processes more than 10 exabytes of data daily and is used alongside many popular AI engines and tools. With this integration, customers will have a consistent view of real-time data across operational and analytic applications, enabling faster, smarter AI-driven decision-making. Apply for the Tableflow Early Access Program here.
● Increase flexibility through Bring Your Own Storage. Store fresh, up-to-date Iceberg or Delta tables once and reuse them many times with the freedom to choose a storage bucket. Customers now have full control over storage and compliance to meet their unique data ownership needs.
● Enhance data accessibility and governance with partners. Direct integrations with Amazon SageMaker Lakehouse via AWS Glue Data Catalog (GA) and Snowflake Open Catalog (GA) enable seamless catalog management for Tableflow’s Iceberg tables. They also streamline access for analytical engines such as Amazon Athena, AWS EMR, and Amazon RedShift, and leading data lake and warehouse solutions including Snowflake, Dremio, Imply, Onehouse, and Starburst. Additionally, Confluent has strengthened enterprise adoption for Tableflow with support from global and regional system integrators, including GoodLabs Studio, Onibex, Psyncopate, and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).
