This document compares data lakes and data warehouses. Data lakes store raw, unstructured, and semi-structured data, making them ideal for big data analytics and machine learning. They offer scalability but require more management. Data warehouses, on the other hand, store structured, processed data, optimized for fast querying and business intelligence. They are easier to manage but come with higher storage costs. The choice between the two depends on the organization’s need for scalability, query performance, and data governance.