Getting Started with Bigbang

Updated by Ken Maranian

Overview

This guide will help you set up and start using the Bigbang, Molecule's Data Lake solution, enabling you to create custom reports and analytics in your SQL editor or BI tool.

Getting Access

To get access to Bigbang, work with your account Customer Success Manager. They'll help you set up your datalake, whitelist your company's or remote employees' IP addresses from where you'll access Bigbang, and get your team onboarded to the product.

Connecting Bigbang to my BI tool

Connecting Tableau: To connect Tableau to Bigbang, customers will use the Tableau PostgreSQL database connector. A driver may also be required depending on their version of Tableau [Desktop, Cloud or Server.] Check Tableau’s Support Center for details . Once connected, users can browse available tables and views for analysis or dashboard creation in Tableau. Users can refer to Tableau's official documentation for the PostgreSQL Connector for more information on how to connect Tableau to a PostgreSQL database and set up the data source, performance optimization, or troubleshooting tips. If you have connectivity problems, contact your network administrator for help.

Connecting Microsoft Power BI

Power BI has built-in support for PostgreSQL in new versions, while older versions may require a connector to link Power BI to Bigbang. This connection allows you to import or directly query your Bigbang data within Power BI for analytics and reporting. You may require the PostgreSQL ODBC driver to enable this connection. For detailed instructions, including installing the PostgreSQL ODBC driver and troubleshooting connectivity issues, please refer to Microsoft’s Power BI document. If you have connectivity problems, contact your network administrator for help.

Connecting Mode Analytics

Mode supports PostgreSQL databases natively, so you won’t need to install a connector or driver to enable a connection. Once enabled, you can query your Bigbang data using Mode's SQL Editor, create reports, and build dashboards. Depending on your company firewall or VPN requirements, you may need to connect via Mode’s Bridge Connector. Work with your company’s Network Administrator to install and configure the Bridge Connector. Otherwise, you can connect directly to Bigbang.  Ensure you have the details for your Bigbang database, including host, database name, user, and password. Check out Mode's Help Center for details on connecting databases, including troubleshooting and optimizing queries for better performance. Contact your network administrator to get help troubleshooting connectivity issues.

FAQ

GENERAL INFORMATION

Which data models are available in Bigbang?

Currently, Bigbang includes Trades, Valuations, Marks, Sublegs, Products, and Inventory Valuations. To request additional models, work with your CSM.

FUNCTIONALITY & FEATURES

How can I query and analyze data within Bigbang?

Bigbang is designed to streamline data access so you can execute complex queries efficiently. To query and analyze data, you can use SQL queries directly against Bigbang’s PostgreSQL database.. Bigbang connects with BI tools like Mode, Tableau, and Microsoft Power BI to provide user-friendly data analysis. These tools help you create queries and analyze data visually without deep SQL knowledge.

What tools are included with Bigbang to create analytics dashboards in Bigbang?

While Bigbang is a robust data lake platform, it does not provide dashboard creation tools directly. However, it connects seamlessly with industry-standard BI and analytics tools like Mode, Tableau, and Power BI. These tools can connect to Bigbang to create dynamic and interactive dashboards, offering rich data visualization and insights discovery features.

Can I perform real-time data analytics with Bigbang?

Bigbang supports near real-time data analytics by leveraging its underlying event streaming capabilities. As data is streamed into Bigbang, you can access and analyze this information in near real-time, allowing for timely insights.

Does Bigbang support time-series data analysis?

Yes, Bigbang is well-suited for time-series data analysis. The platform's architecture is designed to enable querying of time-series data. You can perform various time-series analyses, such as trend analysis and anomaly detection, by querying your data across different time intervals and using BI tools to visualize and analyze time-based patterns and insights.

PERFORMANCE & SCALABILITY

Does Bigbang handle large volumes of data?

Yes, Bigbang is designed to accommodate the vast amounts of data typically generated in trading environments by leveraging the power of cloud infrastructure and the scalability of the PostgreSQL database. Additionally, Bigbang's data streaming architecture ensures it can process high volumes of data in near real-time, making it suitable for enterprises with significant data throughput requirements.

What is the performance impact of querying large datasets in Bigbang?

Querying large datasets in Bigbang is highly efficient, but the performance impact can vary based on several factors. Bigbang's underlying database supports various performance optimization techniques to minimize the impact of querying large datasets, ensuring responsive analytics even as data volume grows. In general, however, simpler queries run faster, while complex queries involving multiple joins, aggregations, or calculations can be expected to take longer. The team at Molecule continuously monitors and tunes performance based on our customers' real-world needs.

DATA MANAGEMENT & SECURITY

Whose responsibility is security?

Molecule ensures the security infrastructure of their data lake products is robust and compliant with industry standards. Customers play a critical role in managing the security of their data within their environment. Security and data privacy require active management and adherence to best practices by both parties. The nature of data lakes shifts some security responsibilities to the customer like managing the data access via internal systems. Below is a breakdown of security measures and data privacy protocols, highlighting what Molecule handles vs. clients.

What does Molecule provide?

  • Data Encryption: to protect data from unauthorized access, including strong encryption standards.
  • Physical Security: The servers hosting the data lake are managed by Molecule via Amazon ensuring protection against unauthorized physical access.
  • Platform Security: This includes the security features of the SaaS platform, such as MFA, regular security patches and updates, network security measures (firewalls, DDoS protection), and compliance with security standards.
  • Data Isolation: Ensuring customer data is logically separated and inaccessible to other tenants in a multi-tenant environment.

What are my security responsibilities?

To access Bigbang, you'll need to use your company's VPN for security. There are many reasons for this: VPNs provide end-to-end encryption, ensuring that the data transmitted between the user and the data lake is secure and protected from interception. Additionally, VPNs typically integrate with secure authentication methods, adding an extra layer of security to user access. Finally, access to Bigbang is limited to specific IP ranges associated with the VPN, reducing the risk of unauthorized access.

SUPPORT & RESOURCES

What type of customer support is available?

Molecule support is offered for Bigbang through your Customer Success Manager. For initial setup support like connectivity issues or installation/configuration of any required software, your company’s IT team can best help you get everything configured properly and help troubleshoot any issues as sometimes this requires detailed knowledge of your company’s network security requirements.

PRICING & PLANS

What pricing plans are available for Bigbang?

Contact sales

Need Further Assistance? If you encounter any issues or have questions, don't hesitate to reach out to your Customer Success Manager for help. We're here to ensure your experience with Molecule Bigbang is as smooth and beneficial as possible.


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