According to one embodiment, a system includes logic adapted to: receive a request to open an existing data set indicating a write operation, receive new data to write to the existing data set, determine that the existing data set is stored on a lower tier of a tiered data storage system, determine that the existing data set is capable of being updated by appending the new data to an end of the existing data set, create a temporary data set on a higher tier of the tiered data storage system comprising the new data, associate the temporary data set on the higher tier of the tiered data storage system with the existing data set on the lower tier of the tiered data storage system, and create a write indicator associated with the new data set indicating that the new data set belongs at the end of the existing data set.