This is an extremely exciting time for database
research. In the past we have been guided by, but
also restricted by, the rigors of the enterprise, its
relational data, and our relational database system
architectures. The rise of Big Data and the vision of
data-driven world raise many exciting opportunities
and pose many new challenges for the database
research community. Being the community that has
traditionally dealt with all things related to data,
there is a golden opportunity for us to play a central
role in this emerging world. There is an abundance
research opportunities related to handling the
many challenges of Big Data; of data diversity; of
new hardware, software, and cloud-based platforms;
of addressing the data life cycle, from the creation
of data to analysis and sharing; and of facing the
diversity, roles, and number of people related to all
aspects of data. It is also time to rethink our approach
to education, our degree of involvement with
the consumers of our work, and our value system
and its impact on what (and how) we disseminate
and how we fund our research.