You don't need a mandate
·1 min
Following on from yesterday’s note on the API Mandate and data contracts, I wan’t to be clear you don’t need to mandate data contracts to get adoption.
Data Contracts
📙 Looking for more on data contracts? Check out my book! 📙
2024
Data contracts and the API mandate
·2 mins
In 2002 Jeff Bezos issued the now infamous API Mandate which stated the following:
Workflows must have a benefit
·1 min
Every workflow and process you have has a cost, including the following:
Validating data contracts downstream
I wrote yesterday how it’s best to validate as early as possible.
Validate as early as possible
·1 min
It’s always best to do your data validation as early as possible as that:
Don't let table models become an API
·1 min
As a software engineer, we would never make our database directly available to consumers.
Data contracts at the cross-section of best practices
I see data contracts as being at the cross-section of best practices.
Friction as a lever
·2 mins
I mentioned yesterday how by using friction we can influence how users behave and how the business is organised.
Reversing Conway's Law
Yesterday I wrote about Conway’s law and the challenges it causes in organisations where data teams are placed in a separate part of the organisation to where the data is generated.
Make the data contract useful
·1 min
Unless the data contract is being used, no one is going to put effort into creating or maintaining it.
Want great, practical advice on implementing data mesh, data products and data contracts?
In my weekly newsletter I share with you an original post and links to what's new and cool in the world of data mesh, data products, and data contracts.
I also include a little pun, because why not? 😅
(Don’t worry—I hate spam, too, and I’ll NEVER share your email address with anyone!)