Data platforms can be categorized along four axes: the data architecture, the extent of the data curation and harmonization, the analysis architecture of a resource, and the analysis architecture of the ecosystem. The red lines can be viewed as classifying platforms using parallel coordinates and these four dimensions. The top line is the parallel coordinates associated with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Research Data Commons, the line below is the parallel coordinates for the NCI Genomic Data Commons, the two lines below are two possible architectures for data lakes, while the bottom line is an architecture for a repository of files. Abbreviations: API, application programming interface; DCF, data commons framework; NA, not applicable; SaaS, software as a service.