As you begin thinking about what you will need for your modern data stack, you may have come across KNIME as a possible tool. Through your research, you might have also found that KNIME is an open-source tool and might have been hesitant to look more into it. However, we are here to help you better understand how KNIME can help build solutions in your business, and why this open-source tool should not be counted out.
KNIME Analytics Platform is low-code or no-code open-source software that allows end users to manipulate and analyze their data. This platform enables users to design and execute data workflows visually. Through its node-based interface, KNIME supports a wide range of data manipulation, machine learning, and statistical analyses.Through its many free extensions, KNIME integrates with various tools and technologies, making it adaptable to diverse analytical skills.
In this blog, we will cover open-source tools and their advantages and disadvantages. We will also address how KNIME, as an open-source tool, uses these advantages and combats the disadvantages of being open-source. Lastly, we will address the ways KNIME uses collaboration to its advantage.
Understanding the Significance of Open-Source Tools
Open-source tools like KNIME provide transparency and collaboration, allowing users to freely access, modify, and distribute the software. While this fosters innovation and community engagement, weighing the pros and cons is essential.
Advantages include minimal licensing costs, immediate access without licensing delays, and flexibility for customization. As you look into KNIME, you can quickly download this software on your machine. You do not experience the hassle of waiting or worrying about getting a license; you can start building immediately.
KNIME is also very flexible, as users can look at how the code works and make necessary changes to fit their needs. They provide documentation pages for their releases (KNIME Documentation). Due to this accessibility, KNIME allows for peer reviews and quality checks of its actors and contributors.
Open sources, such as KNIME, are accessible, allowing breakthroughs to come from anywhere. This is seen by taking advantage of the KNIME Community Hub, as people can upload workflows, components, and extensions that enhance the users’ experience using KNIME.
Risks with Open-Source Tools
An open-source tool can pose compatibility issues, as specific drivers need to be set up for certain aspects of the tool. For instance, if you want to connect to a specific database like Oracle or Snowflake, you may need to install the correct JDBC driver on your machine. These tools and compatibility issues require much upskilling to build this software. However, although this seems highly technical, it’s a one-time setup process and well-documented in KNIME’s community and official resources. Once the driver is in place, KNIME can seamlessly connect to the database, and the setup rarely needs redone.
Since they are all open-source, these tools require individuals to be in charge of security independently. The tools often rely on the knowledge of the end user and do not always have standardization. They are also difficult to collaborate with, meaning more time to compare and contrast the builds.
How KNIME Addresses Compatibility and Upskilling Concerns
KNIME does not have compatibility issues, so the end users can begin using it immediately. It does so by standardizing workflows and reducing variability compared to other code-based open-source tools. KNIME also provides pre-tested nodes for data manipulation, analytics, and machine learning, which lessen the discrepancies between different setups.
Likewise, it ensures that workflows run consistently across Windows, macOS, and Linux, reducing the risk of environment-dependent inconsistencies, common in other open-source software.
Although other open-source tools require businesses to be responsible for upskilling their employees, KNIME, as a low-code/no-code solution, does not pose that problem. KNIME can be utilized by new and more advanced users alike. Look into the KNIME Learning Center to learn more about upskilling your team.
Addressing Security and Reliability Concerns with KNIME
You may be asking yourself why you should go with KNIME if the major concern with open-source tools is maintaining compliance and legal obligations at the user level. KNIME prioritizes security, adhering to stringent standards and proactive security policies. It leverages reliable libraries and employs rigorous software composition analysis to address vulnerabilities promptly.
For this reason, although other open-source software is not obligated to maintain compliance, KNIME goes above and beyond to ensure everything built on its platform is secure and regulated.
KNIME’s Security Standards
KNIME does this by building and testing its systems against security standards. Their security policy follows a structured approach for exchanging and utilizing their Community Hub to communicate any security changes that have been implemented. KNIME’s Software Security Policy comprises secure development, build, and test environments.
These are all based on the Atlassian Bitbucket for development and Jenkins from the Continuous Development Foundation for build and testing, along with other security guidelines.
More specifically, their build and testing system relies on these standards, and no code ends up being released unless their strict 6-eye policy is followed:
The first set of eyes is based on the code developer, who can only surface code if trained in their Security Education.
The second set of eyes is from a qualified reviewer to complete low-level checks that include security considerations, which go into release or pre-release branches.
The last set of eyes performs automated and manual checks to ensure the code serves the intended purpose. For their testing, they perform unit tests, build tests, and workflow tests.
KNIME’s Libraries
Additionally, due to KNIME’s open nature, users can use reliable and well-documented libraries in their system. The framework libraries that they use include Apache Commons, which provides reusable open-source Java components for common tasks; Eclipse RCP, used for building the KNIME desktop application; JFreeChart, a library that creates graphs and charts; and Jackson, for JSON processing. For security, KNIME employs libraries to safeguard data through Apache Shiro, which handles authentication and authorization.
With these libraries, KNIME documents and tracks the open-source libraries to ensure that security-related and relevant information is assessed. It can then take action using the Security Response and Remediation procedure. Therefore, you can be assured that security and standards are in place for using KNIME as an open-source platform.
Responses occur when action is taken against a security issue or concern. This can happen during testing procedures or through a notification from an external source. KNIME goes through both internal and external penetration tests multiple times per year, which allows security issues to be raised. This process is managed through the Dependency Track for Software Composition Analysis. For more information, look through the Overview of the KNIME Software Framework and Security provided by KNIME.
KNIME’s Node Development
Another aspect of security that KNIME considers is that the software and node development do not capture or return any data used within KNIME workflows to KNIME AG. The nodes within KNIME do not return data to any 3rd party unless clearly stated in the documentation (these would be nodes that pass through a database).
The data that would be passed is around usage, and it is clearly communicated and only used to provide node recommendations. This option can be disabled, and users can look at the code that is sent back so that they can validate this.
KNIME’s Security Education
KNIME also values security education, providing software developers and others with training on Software Security policy. They provide access to the development environments so that individuals can detect and resolve weaknesses when writing code. Individuals can access these changes through GitHub.
Moreover, KNIME ensures user privacy by abstaining from data capture and providing anonymization options for statistical usage. Security education initiatives and accessible development environments further bolster trust and confidence in the platform.
Unlocking Collaboration and Efficiency with KNIME Business Hub
KNIME Business Hub complements the KNIME Analytics Platform by providing an environment for all data workers to collaborate and create solutions across their organization (reference KNIME Business Hub). It enhances collaboration, automation, and analytics as a service, empowering businesses to implement tailored solutions securely.
KNIME Business Hub allows you to add a security level specific to your business needs. This way, you can share across your business without worrying about others utilizing the organization’s resources. KNIME does this by allowing the customer to build based on its infrastructure. Through KNIME Business Hub, KNIME allows organizations to manage potential “open code abuse.” Those nodes allowing open code, such as Python or Java, can be restricted or removed. These custom security settings ensure data integrity and resource management across the organization.
Lastly, KNIME Business Hub releases updates on a by-need basis. Therefore, as soon as a problem is identified, KNIME will follow its 6-eye policy to make updates. You can rest assured that the Business Hub gets updated often.
TLDR;
| KNIME | Proprietary Tools |
|---|---|
|
KNIME is an open-source, modular, and unrestricted tool. |
Locked ecosystems and vendor lock-in are causing limited freedom. |
|
KNIME is free to use and reduces the risk of unnecessary costs. |
Proprietary tools mean licensing, support, and upgrade costs. |
|
KNIME tackles reliability with enterprise-grade testing and regular updates. |
Limited compatibility with common libraries and coding tools. |
|
Compliant with security standards and has robust access controls. |
Varying approaches and unclear security. |
|
KNIME creates built-in nodes, open extensions, and custom libraries. |
Proprietary tools often have closed libraries and limited extensions. |
|
KNIME Business Hub enables controlled sharing. |
Difficult to collaborate at one given time due to the proprietary restrictions. |
Closing
In conclusion, KNIME’s open-source nature is not a drawback but a strategic advantage that can empower your organization to innovate and grow. By combining the KNIME Analytics Platform and Business Hub, you can harness the full potential of your data while ensuring security, collaboration, and efficiency.
Ready to embark on your KNIME analytics journey?
If you have further inquiries, don’t hesitate to contact phData!
FAQs
What is KNIME used for?
KNIME is a data preparation and data science tool that allows end users easy access to understand their data and manipulate it to answer their big business questions. If you are looking for ways to get started with KNIME, visit our post on
What is KNIME and Tips for Getting Started.
What are the advantages of KNIME?
KNIME has multiple advantages, including being a great tool for data analytics, machine learning, and ETL processes. Due to the No-Code/Low-Code approach, KNIME allows both technical and non-technical users to build complex workflows. Likewise, with KNIME Business Hub, individuals can collaborate on any workflow. Unlike Excel, KNIME can process structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data.
Lastly, compared to other tools like KNIME, this tool offers similar functionalities but cheaper. This is great for businesses and researchers as they obtain answers from their data.
