Big data is data that exceeds the processing capacity of conventional database systems. The data is too big, moves too fast, or doesn’t fit the strictures of your database architectures. To gain value from this data, you must choose an alternative way to process it.

This definition is provided by Edd Dumbill, Editor-in-Chief of Big Data. It appeared in the March 2013 issue in the article, Making Sense of Big Data,.