Database Federation
Database federation is a data integration technique that provides a unified view of multiple, heterogeneous databases without physically consolidating the data. It uses a virtual database layer to query and access data from disparate sources as if they were a single database. This approach enables real-time data access across distributed systems while maintaining data autonomy at the source.
Developers should learn database federation when building applications that need to access data from multiple, independent databases (e.g., legacy systems, cloud databases, or partner data sources) without data migration. It is particularly useful in scenarios like enterprise data integration, cross-system reporting, and microservices architectures where data resides in different locations or technologies, reducing the complexity of data consolidation and enabling agile access to distributed data.