I’ve seen two common approaches in data architectures:

1. Landing → Bronze: Raw files are first dumped into a landing layer, archived, and then loaded into Delta tables as Bronze.
2. Raw files = Bronze: The raw file dump itself is treated as the Bronze layer.

Both have their pros and cons, but I haven’t found a clear rule for when to choose one over the other.

What factors should drive this decision? For example, replay/reprocessing needs, retention, governance, data volume, cost, or source-system characteristics.

Would love to hear how others make this decision in real-world data platforms.