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Amazon S3 Tables add Variant type for Apache Iceberg V3

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Amazon S3 Tables now support the Variant data type for Apache Iceberg V3, enabling direct ingestion of semi-structured data like JSON without upfront schema definition. This feature accelerates data landing while maintaining efficient analytical query performance by automatically shredding data and generating Parquet column statistics for query optimization. The support is available across numerous AWS regions and includes ongoing table maintenance for Variant columns.

  • →Support for Variant data type in S3 Tables with Apache Iceberg V3
  • →Automatic data shredding and statistics generation for Variant columns
  • →Ongoing table maintenance for Variant columns
  • →Availability in multiple AWS regions
Features (1) ›
  • Support for Variant data type in S3 Tables with Apache Iceberg V3

    Amazon S3 Tables now support the Variant data type from Apache Iceberg V3, allowing semi-structured data like JSON to be written directly. This eliminates the need for pre-defined schemas, facilitating faster data ingestion and optimizing analytical query performance.

Enhancements (2) ›
  • Automatic data shredding and statistics generation for Variant columns

    The Variant data type automatically shreds semi-structured data into hidden columns, generating Parquet column statistics. This enables query engines to optimize by performing file pruning, reducing the amount of data scanned by analytical queries.

  • Ongoing table maintenance for Variant columns

    S3 Tables provide continuous table maintenance, including compaction, for Variant columns. This process consolidates data from small files into larger ones, improving read efficiency for Iceberg engines.

Notes (1) ›
  • Availability in multiple AWS regions

    Support for the Variant data type in S3 Tables is now available in a comprehensive list of AWS Regions, including those in North America, Asia Pacific, Canada, Europe, and South America.

Read the original announcement →

https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2026/07/amazon-s3-tables-variant-iceberg-v3/

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