Terabytes of data to Azure

Question

I am required to ingest 50+TB of data from a learning system with all types of structured, unstructured, and semi-structured data. Since the data volume is large, I am not sure the methods below are the right tools to ingest 50+TB of data into ADLS

1. Azure CLI
2. AzCopy
3. ADF

Please help me with the other options I have apart from Databox heavy, please suggest the best approach trade-off and best practices.

Answer 1

@azure_learner Welcome to Microsoft Q&A Forum, Thank you for posting your query here!

This article provides an overview of some of the common Azure data transfer solutions. The article also links out to recommended options depending on the network bandwidth in your environment and the size of the data you intend to transfer. Choose an Azure solution for data transfer

There are several options for transferring data to and from Azure, depending on your needs. Reference to this article

Ingesting such a large volume of data into Azure Data Lake Storage (ADLS) can indeed be challenging. While Azure CLI, AzCopy, and Azure Data Factory (ADF) are common tools for data movement, they might not be the best fit for your scenario due to the sheer volume of data you're dealing with.

Here are some alternative methods and best practices you might consider:

1. Azure Data Factory (ADF): Despite your concerns, ADF is actually quite capable of handling large data volumes. It allows you to create data-driven workflows for orchestrating and automating data movement and data transformation. When dealing with large datasets, you can leverage features like data partitioning and parallel executions to improve performance
2. Azure Import/Export service: For transferring large amounts of data to Azure Blob Storage or ADLS, you can use the Azure Import/Export service to securely ship physical disks. This is particularly useful if you're limited by network bandwidth or if transferring data over the network would take too long.
3. AzCopy: AzCopy is a command-line utility that allows you to copy data to and from Azure storage. AzCopy can be used to upload data to ADLS using the "azcopy copy" command. AzCopy is a good option if you need to upload data quickly and do not need to perform complex data transformations during the ingestion process.
4. Azure Data Box: Azure Data Box is a physical device that can be used to transfer large amounts of data to Azure. Azure Data Box can be used to transfer data from on-premises data centers to Azure, or between Azure regions. Azure Data Box is a good option if you need to transfer large amounts of data quickly and do not have a reliable internet connection.

Azure Data Box: You've mentioned Databox Heavy, but it's worth noting that Azure Data Box products provide a range of solutions with different storage capacities that can be used to transfer large datasets to Azure, especially when network transfer is not feasible.

Optimized Copy Techniques: When using tools like AzCopy, ensure you're using the latest version and leveraging parameters that optimize for performance, such as increased block size, parallel operations, and checkpointing to resume large transfers without starting over.

Network Optimization: If you decide to transfer data over the network, consider using ExpressRoute for a more reliable and faster connection to Azure.

Data Compression: Compressing data before transfer can significantly reduce the volume of data and improve transfer speed. However, this depends on the compressibility of your data.

Incremental Load: If possible, perform incremental loads instead of a full load every time. This means only new or changed data since the last load will be transferred, reducing the amount of data to move.

Remember to also consider data security and compliance requirements when transferring data. Encryption in transit and at rest should be a priority, along with proper access controls and monitoring.

References Data integration with ADLS Gen2 and Azure Data Explorer using Data Factory | Microsoft Azure Blog

Please let us know if you have any further queries. I’m happy to assist you further.    

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Answer 2

On the other hand, you can try third-party tools like Gs Richcopy360 or CloudSfer to easily , directly and quickly copy your large data at once to Azure without any headache .