Daily data contracts tips

Many organisations have a data catalog as a part of their data stack. But as we move towards a more decentralised model with data mesh and data contracts it’s worth revisiting who the data catalog is for.

The whole point of data mesh is to make data in an organisation more accessible.

To build reliable data products we need a data platform that provides us capabilities to do so.

Each data project should be doing or enabling one of three things:

1. Increase revenue
2. Decrease costs
3. Reduce risk

If not, why are you doing it?

I wrote yesterday about how important a data catalog becomes when you move to a decentralised and autonomous data architecture built on data contracts.

When you’ve successfully built an autonomous, contract-driven data platform, you’ll find the number of data contracts explode.

One of the many benefits of a contract-based data platform is that it ensures consistency over how data is created, managed, and consumed across your organisation.

Platforms in general, and data platforms in particular, can be a powerful enabler for an organisation.

If you’re looking at implementing data contracts or moving towards a data mesh you will hear a lot about shifting left.

It can be tempting to provide a range of tools for your data platform users - tools that fill every niche, so there’s always the “right tool for the job”.