Data lakes play a critical role in data management by providing a centralized repository to store vast amounts of raw data in its original format. Unlike traditional databases that require structured data, data lakes are designed to accommodate structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data from multiple sources. This flexibility facilitates advanced data analytics, machine learning, and big data processing. Organizations can leverage data lakes to improve decision-making, enhance data accessibility, and foster innovation by extracting valuable insights from diverse datasets efficiently.