Apache Iceberg is an open table format that adds database-like reliability to data lakes by introducing a metadata abstraction layer over raw data files stored in S3. Unlike traditional Parquet-only setups, Iceberg enables ACID transactions, schema evolution, hidden partitioning, time travel, and efficient updates and deletes. These features make it significantly more powerful and flexible for large-scale analytics workloads. Using Amazon Athena, users can create Iceberg tables, perform schema changes, and query historical data through snapshots with minimal effort. While Iceberg introduces some operational overhead, such as snapshot expiration and file compaction, Amazon S3 Tables helps reduce this burden by automating maintenance operations. Overall, Apache Iceberg is a powerful solution for organizations looking to bring structured, database-like capabilities to their AWS-based data lakes.