As more and more companies start to use custom database software to conduct their everyday business, they are in turn getting a greater understanding of how it works. This increased awareness is resulting in expansions on the traditional analytical framework, which could ultimately result in progress far beyond what we've traditionally come to understand as the limits of Big Data.

One advancement that appears imminent is the debut of the Big Data "stack". 

A slew of businesses have already made use of the first level of analytical capability, some 42 percent of organizations per a CompTIA study. These groups are now looking into what else they can do with the technology, and developing interfaces that are more layered, with a wider range of options available at each interaction. 

The first layer is where the data resides, an arena that is quickly becoming more scalable. In the next layer, companies will be able to integrate from other sources, which will help prep, clean and integrate the information so that it is even more useful. After this comes the analytical section, where conclusions can be drawn and action plans formulated. Finally, the predictive layer closes out the process, allowing companies to look forward and anticipate changes before they even occur. 

Richard Daley, one of the founders and chief strategy officer of analytics and business intelligence specialist Pentaho, explains why this approach will help to increase the value of the collection process. 

"In the last 12 months, we've seen more and more people doing big data for gain," he says. "There is much more to gain from analyzing and utilizing this big data than just storing it."

This represents another in a long line of exciting improvements in database technology.