Decoding the Open Lakehouse
Navigating Apache Iceberg, Interoperability, and the Data Ecosystem - Sahil Walia
Every data team wants an open architecture, but achieving true interoperability takes more than just adopting a new table format. Join us as Snowflake Senior Technical Architect Sahil Walia cuts through the hype surrounding the open lakehouse and Apache Iceberg.
In this session, he will explore why Iceberg alone doesn’t solve vendor lock-in, how engine compatibility actually impacts your workloads, and the hidden complexities of managing open catalogs. Whether you are building data pipelines or designing enterprise architecture, this talk will deliver a grounded, hype-free look at what it actually takes to run open table formats in production.
He’ll cover:
Why adopting Apache Iceberg doesn’t automatically guarantee data interoperability.
How to evaluate engine compatibility based on actual features, not just vendor marketing.
Why the open catalog is the new battleground for data optionality.
The hidden operational trade-offs of self-managing an open lakehouse versus using managed services.
About the Speaker:
Sahil Walia is an experienced industry professional with graduate degree from Syracuse University in Information Management(M.S.). Sahil has experiential knowledge in diverse business, technology, and processes.
In past, he had worked with the organization like EY, Slalom, IBM and Wipro. As part of his diverse teams, he developed his technical, problem solving and analytical skills. He took the opportunity to showcase his exceptional client focus by actively interacting and delivering the commitments. Being a keen learner, Sahil expertise several skills during his job.
Sahil is goal oriented, technically inclined and highly empowered professional. He has problem-solving skills and works strategically with his practical approach. He also has strong leadership skill with motivational management style.
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