Mastering Apache Iceberg v3: What's New and How to Plan Your Upgrade

This article provides a comprehensive overview of Apache Iceberg v3, which became production-ready with version 1.11.0. It covers six major features: binary deletion vectors replacing positional delete files for faster row-level updates, new data types (VARIANT, GEOMETRY, nanosecond timestamps), default column values, row lineage tracking, multi-argument transforms, and table encryption. The article also offers a practical upgrade path, emphasizing incremental table-level upgrades and engine compatibility considerations, including specific advice for Dremio Lakehouse users. It helps data engineers and architects understand performance improvements and plan safe migrations.