Catalog & Cocktails: The Honest, No-BS Data Podcast
260 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago -Catalog and Cocktails is an honest, no-BS, non-sales-y conversation about data and analytics. This is your unfiltered chat about everything interesting in data and metadata management, DataOps, architecture, and beyond. Join Juan Sequeda and Tim Gasper to explore emerging topics and hear from visionary leaders across the data space.
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Episodes
Free-range, grass-fed, open-source data w/ Denise Gosnell of Datastax
August 19, 2021 16:00 - 59 minutes - 54.1 MBOpen source software is one of the largest and fastest growing segments within the data landscape. And if you’re implementing DataOps practices or considering data mesh, openness and flexibility are key architectural principles. This week, Juan and Tim are joined by Denise Gosnell, CDO of Datastax, to talk about the business of open source and how community-centric data applications are reshaping the enterprise. This episode will feature: A glimpse into the future of open source data The...
Documents and Clouds and Graphs, Oh My! w/ Emil Eifrem, CEO of Neo4j
August 12, 2021 16:00 - 59 minutes - 54.3 MBThe data landscape has evolved substantially over the last decade. We’ve gone from data lakes to data hubs to lake houses. We see data represented as documents, columns, graphs, and time series. So how might this evolution continue over the next ten years? To help us ponder this question, Juan and Tim are bringing in Emil Eifrem, CEO of Neo4j. We’ll take a look at how we got to this point, and what new data management challenges and opportunities await. This episode will feature: A look a...
SEASON TWO KICKOFF w/ DJ PATIL
August 04, 2021 22:00 - 57 minutes - 52.9 MBWe’re back in the office. Now what? We roll into season two with a straightforward question: “Did we learn anything new about data work and data people during the pandemic?” Who better to address that subject than DJ Patil, mathematician, entrepreneur, and the very first U.S. Chief Data Scientist? Join Tim, Juan, and DJ for a wide-ranging conversation on data cultures, architectures, roles, and enduring lessons from the past 16-months of largely remote work. This episode will feature: Ho...
Special Edition: Panel on Data Architecture at the Knowledge Graph Conference
July 06, 2021 10:07 - 58 minutes - 53.9 MB*Corrected Audio* Data Architecture is evolving and there are many questions with various perspectives. What is the balance between centralization and decentralization? How do you start treating data as a product? How do you incentivize people? What’s the role of Data Mesh, Data Fabric, Knowledge Graphs? This special edition of Catalog and Cocktails is the Data Architecture panel from the Knowledge Graph Conference, moderated by Juan Sequeda. Listen and learn from Teresa Tung Chief Technol...
SEASON ONE FINALE: Episode 50
June 03, 2021 17:13 - 1 hour - 58.4 MBWhat’s the old saying? “The journey IS the destination.” What started as an experiment and a way to kick back with colleagues and peers on a video call, turned into a thriving, honest, no BS podcast about enterprise data management. Hosts Juan and Tim embarked on this journey that turned into a 50-episode series. The episodes boasted conversation topics spanning from identity graphs, modern data stacks, and building data teams, all the way to data lineage, data trust issues and learning wh...
The Future of BI is AI
May 27, 2021 13:57 - 41 minutes - 37.5 MBBusiness intelligence has come a long way since the early days of IBM’s decision support systems. Today BI is the backbone of many data-driven organizations, and companies often look to BI tools to help them make accurate predictions. In this episode, we take a look into the future of BI itself. Join Tim, Juan, and Ashley Kramer, the Chief Product Officer from Sisense, as they explore the intersection of BI, analytics, and artificial intelligence. Other topics include: How companies can t...
Knowledge is Power: Knowledge Management meets Data Management
May 20, 2021 16:49 - 47 minutes - 43.7 MBWe always talk about managing metadata and data...but what about managing knowledge? It has to be more than keeping a spreadsheet of a business glossary! Join Tim, Juan, and Joe Hilger from Enterprise Knowledge for a conversation about how the data management and knowledge management communities need to unite in order to best manage your unstructured and structured data. Other topics include: How to best manage unstructured and structured data? Taxonomies, Knowledge Graphs: how does it f...
Don’t Treat your Data Stack like a Fine Wine
May 13, 2021 14:05 - 41 minutes - 38.2 MBClassic Rock, historical paintings, and fine wine; some things are better left untouched. When it comes to your data stack however, that rule doesn’t apply. Having the right foundation- a mix of tools, people, and processes- is absolutely essential to getting value from your data. Join Juan, Tim, and Brandon Chen from FiveTran for a chat about letting go of your organization’s old tools and processes and welcoming in the new. Other topics include: Obvious signs that it's time to change yo...
Data Organization: Reap what you Sow
May 06, 2021 14:15 - 43 minutes - 39.9 MBEvery maturing company hits a point where the processes and systems that once worked no longer scale. Don’t let this happen to your data organization. Join Juan, Tim, and this week’s guest, Meetesh Karia from The Zebra, while they live brainstorm about scaling data teams and processes. They’ll look at how the small seeds you plant along the journey can pay huge dividends later on. It all stems from the seeds you plant along the way; the people on your team, the balance of efficiency vs. res...
What's the Secret Recipe for DataOps?
April 29, 2021 15:31 - 41 minutes - 37.7 MBAccelerating the delivery of data applications is at the top of the to-do list for many enterprises. That requires overcoming friction in your data architecture, managing complex requirements, and handling a variety of semantics challenges. Join Tim, Juan, and Chris Bergh from Data Kitchen for a conversation about DataOps. The trio will look at how this emerging data management methodology can improve the flow of knowledge within data teams. Other topics include: How to create the right D...
Why it’s time to mesh with your data architecture
April 22, 2021 14:26 - 49 minutes - 45.2 MBMesh is everywhere. It’s in our clothes, our fishing nets, our Wifi networks, and now our data architecture. But what is a data mesh? Do you need one? And if so, how do you start? Zhamak Dehghani is the director of Emerging Technologies at Thoughtworks and the leading expert on data mesh. We’ll chat about the emergence of the data mesh as a concept, why the approach works for eliminating architectural silos, and how it's producing more data-driven cultures. Other topics include: Key tools...
What do they teach at your Data Science U?
April 15, 2021 10:57 - 38 minutes - 34.9 MBThe data science discipline is in a constant state of evolution with new techniques and applications being introduced almost daily. And this journey often begins at institutions of higher learning around the world. Many universities offer bachelors and masters degrees in data science, but are these programs adequately preparing the data professionals of tomorrow? In this episode, Juan, Tim, and Prof George Fletcher of Eindhoven University of Technology will discuss the state of data science...
Power to the Data!
April 07, 2021 23:06 - 35 minutes - 32.9 MBCompanies spend an obscene amount of money every year on data and analytics initiatives. And almost all of that spend goes toward applications that employ vastly different data models. Normalizing data structures is a painstaking process that most IT teams are used to by now. But should we normalize normalization? In this episode, Juan, Tim, and Dave McComb, President of Semantic Arts and author of Software Wasteland and The Data-Centric Revolution, discuss what it takes to shift from an ap...
Building a great data team: Mission (Im)possible
March 31, 2021 22:44 - 38 minutes - 35.5 MBHere’s your mission, should you choose to accept it: Your company is making poor decisions about how to bring its latest product to market. Time is running out, and the company risks missing a unique and lucrative opportunity. You must convince your exec team to stop using gut instinct and start trusting in data. Step one is building a strong data and analytics team with the right mix of people, process, and technical know-how. In this episode, Juan, Tim, and Patrick Barry, VP of Data and A...
Does your data have a ‘born on’ date?
March 30, 2021 14:24 - 37 minutes - 34.8 MBWhere does this data come from? Who created it? How has it been used? Like the origins of the universe, there can be quite a mystery surrounding the genesis of your company’s datasets. Understanding data provenance is the first step in answering those critical questions. Join Tim, Juan, and Professor Deborah McGuiness of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, renowned AI scientist and pioneer in provenance research to discuss data provenance and why it matters to you. In this episode, we discus...
Does your data have a ‘born on’ date?
March 30, 2021 14:24 - 37 minutes - 34.5 MBWhere does this data come from? Who created it? How has it been used? Like the origins of the universe, there can be quite a mystery surrounding the genesis of your company’s datasets. Understanding data provenance is the first step in answering those critical questions. Join Tim, Juan, and Professor Deborah McGuiness of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, renowned AI scientist and pioneer in provenance research to discuss data provenance and why it matters to you. In this episode, we discus...
Identity graph: the new customer 360
March 18, 2021 14:00 - 40 minutes - 32.2 MBWhat’s the best way to get to know your customers? For most companies the solution is creating a 360 profile using data integration, data warehouse, master data management, and a slew of marketing tools. But there is another option: the Identity Graph. Join Tim, Juan, and guests Michael Murray and Bret Harper of Wunderman Thompson Data for a look at how and why Identity Graphs are disrupting the company-customer relationship. In this episode, we’ll discuss what an identity graph is and why...
A modern approach to data transformation
March 11, 2021 15:00 - 37 minutes - 30.2 MBData warehouses have been around for decades, and we’ve relied on data integration processes like ETL (Extract-Transform-Load) to get the data in. While data warehouses evolved to data lakes and data lakehouses, and ETL became ELT, little else has changed. This week’s special guest is Drew Banin, co-founder of Fishtown Analytics. They’re the team behind the open source tool Data Build Tool (better known as dbt), and for disrupting the data transformation process (the T in ETL). Discussion ...
Do you have data trust issues?
March 04, 2021 15:42 - 40 minutes - 32.4 MBWhen data is powering your business, you expect that data to be trustworthy in real time, all the time, but that’s easier said than done. That’s where data quality comes in. Join special guest Lior Gavish, co-founder of Monte Carlo Data, for a conversation about data quality, reliability, and trust. Discussion topics include quantity vs. quality in data science and analytics, the downsides of applying band-aid fixes versus repeatable solutions, and whether quality wines are really worth the ...
What does a Chief Data Officer do?
February 25, 2021 15:00 - 36 minutes - 29.6 MBIf data is the new oil, does that mean the Chief Data Officer is the new baron? Not exactly, but it is one of the fastest growing and most critical executive roles in the enterprise. So... what exactly does a CDO do? In this episode, Tim and Juan welcome special guest Mohammed Aaser, CDO at McKinsey & Company, the world’s largest management consulting firm. We’ll discuss the unique responsibilities and challenges for a CDO in an increasingly data-driven economy. Plus, we’ll learn how the f...
Do you test your data?
February 11, 2021 15:00 - 36 minutes - 29.6 MBWe test our food. We test our cars. We test our code. But do we test our data? Join Tim, Juan, and special guest Sam Bail from Superconductive, the company behind open source data testing tool Great Expectations. We’ll chat about how to incorporate data testing into your workflow and who should be involved. We’ll also discuss why data quality is not just a tool, but a state of mind and a commitment. This episode will feature tools for test-driven data development, best practices to incorpo...
What can we learn from messy insurance data?
February 04, 2021 15:00 - 36 minutes - 29.1 MBThe insurance industry thrives on robust, diverse, accurate, and innovative data. In fact, it’s one of the most data rich verticals around, dealing in claims, ratings, coverage, pricing, geographic, and people data and so much more. But let’s be honest, working with the disparate data sources and applications is incredibly messy and inefficient! In this episode, Juan and Tim will be joined by insurance veteran, John Lucker to find out what we can all learn from the data and analytics challe...
Does your data governance strategy need a therapy session?
January 28, 2021 20:17 - 34 minutes - 27.5 MBIs data governance making you more productive? Or is it a pain that you just have to deal with for the good of the company? If you’ve got data issues, it may be time for a therapy session. Join resident psychologists Tim, Juan, and Ashleigh Faith, EBSCO’s Director of Knowledge Graph and Semantic Search, as we explore the people and culture sides of data governance. We may not be able to treat all your symptoms, but we can change the way you feel about data governance. This episode will fea...
Is Your Data Fabric a Mesh?
January 21, 2021 20:04 - 34 minutes - 27.5 MBLet’s talk data management frameworks. What is a data fabric and how is it different from a data mesh? No, seriously, we’re trying to figure it out ourselves. Is this an attempt by industry analysts and enterprising vendors to rebrand existing technology or are these fundamentally new data architectures? In this episode, we’ll explore who and what are driving the conversation and try to demystify these emerging data disciplines. This episode will feature: Clear definitions for data fabric...
Has business intelligence jumped the shark? (with special guest Peter Bailis, CEO of Sisu Data)
January 14, 2021 22:21 - 36 minutes - 29.4 MBThere’s a dashboard for everything in the enterprise now, so it’s easy to answer your complex questions in graphical form. And new features like natural language processing (NLP) make interactions and queries faster and easier than ever. But surely there’s more on the horizon in BI and analytics, right? Join Tim, Juan and special guest Peter Bailis, CEO of Sisu Data for a conversation on the current state of business intelligence and data analytics. We will also discuss what’s next and the ...
Best of Catalog & Cocktails: 95% say exit polls don’t work. 15% say they do.
December 31, 2020 15:00 - 35 minutes - 28.3 MBIn October, veteran election "race caller" Dwayne Desaulniers shared how The Associated Press has evolved their process to provide neutral, third party analysis of our most critical elections. It's even more interesting to revisit this conversation months later as we look back on what turned out to be a tumultuous election cycle. As the year winds down, we're revisiting our favorite (and most popular) episodes exploring some of the more unique data roles out there. Next year, we hope to kee...
Best of Catalog & Cocktails: Is it time to hire a data product manager?
December 24, 2020 15:00 - 33 minutes - 26.6 MBIn this episode from early August, Claire Cahill from The Zebra shared what it's like to be a data product manager at a company where data is the key to success. As the year winds down, we're revisiting our favorite (and most popular) episodes exploring some of the more unique data roles out there. Next year, we hope to keep bringing guests like Claire onto the show, and we want to know: what are you curious about? Whose story would you like to hear? Do you have an interesting perspective ...
Goodbye 2020, hello 2021
December 17, 2020 15:00 - 36 minutes - 29 MBEarlier this year, our podcast began with an ambitious episode titled “The Future of Data Management.” We’ve covered a lot of ground since then, from career paths and culture changes to data governance and data policy. In our final Catalog & Cocktails show of 2020, Juan and Tim review some of the hottest topics in the dataverse and look forward to what’s new and exciting next year.
Getting your data bang for your catalog buck
December 10, 2020 15:00 - 35 minutes - 28.7 MBYOU may recognize that your company needs a data catalog, but does your boss get it? Can you justify the investment and determine how quickly and what kind of return you’ll get? These may seem like daunting questions, but do not fear! In this episode, Juan and Tim will discuss how to calculate your data catalog ROI, showing you how to measure a catalog’s ability to boost revenue and productivity while reducing risk. If you need to make a business case for an enterprise data catalog, don’t m...
How Airbnb built its internal data catalog
December 03, 2020 15:00 - 34 minutes - 27.5 MBWhat’s the secret behind Airbnb’s famously data-driven culture? It’s the company’s ability to provide all employees - not just the ‘data people’ - the ability to discover, understand, and trust data. Join Juan, Tim, and special guest Jeff Feng, product lead at Airbnb, to learn how the vacation experience juggernaut designed and developed its enterprise data catalog, DataPortal. Whether you’re still unclear on the business value of a data catalog, or debating whether to build or buy, do not ...
The Thanksgiving special
November 25, 2020 22:00 - 13 minutes - 10.9 MBThis week, much of the U.S. celebrates Thanksgiving, a holiday focused on gratitude and connection. In this short episode, Tim and Juan reflect on what they’re thankful for (including the community that’s grown around this podcast). Join our hosts as they relive their favorite highlights from past Catalog & Cocktails conversations and look forward to upcoming guests. P.S. Usually, we record this podcast in a live Zoom meeting that anyone can attend. We then stick around for a virtual “afte...
Master data management: hot or not?
November 19, 2020 15:00 - 33 minutes - 26.8 MBMaster data management (MDM) sits at the intersection of metadata and data and has a lot in common with data integration, data modeling, and knowledge building use cases. It’s “old school” technology that even today confuses many data leaders. But... is it still relevant? Should it be part of my data governance strategy? In this episode, Tim and Juan discuss the merits of MDM, how it fits into metadata and governance concepts, and how it may evolve (or not) in the future.
The data landscape is CRAZY.
November 12, 2020 00:57 - 33 minutes - 27 MBThe latest 2020 Data & AI Landscape now includes 80 boxes, each featuring anywhere from 10-30 vendor offerings. How do you navigate this landscape? Where do you start? And how do you know when you’re done? Clearly there’s no one-size-fits-all data and analytics solution, and it‘s daunting to assemble the right infrastructure and applications stack to address your evolving business needs. In this episode, Juan and Tim discuss the diverse data landscape and share thoughts on how to navigate a...
Documentation matters
November 05, 2020 14:00 - 31 minutes - 25 MB“I love documentation!!” … said no one. But let’s be honest, what’s worse: having no documentation or having bad/outdated documentation? To make the situation even more awkward, documentation seems to often be nothing more than an afterthought for metadata and data projects. As much as we may dislike creating and maintaining documentation, it is (regrettably, unfortunately, critically) a necessary element that helps others consume data. In this episode Juan and Tim discuss the do’s and don'...
The Data Governance House of Horrors
October 29, 2020 01:26 - 32 minutes - 22 MBDoes the very idea of creating and managing new data assets keep you up at night? Do you get goosebumps just thinking about the state of your column headers? Never fear: there’s an effective way to battle your data and metadata demons. Join Tim and Juan for this spooktacular episode on agile data spirits—er, sprints. We’ll share tips on how to create data assets using an agile, iterative, and inclusive approach. Disclaimer: this episode may include gory details of data and metadata manageme...
Your best data source may be outside your company
October 23, 2020 20:32 - 32 minutes - 25.7 MBWhen you think about enterprise data, the data associated directly with your company and its customers probably comes to mind. But what about data acquired from open data portals or third-party brokers? External data is the fastest growing segment of enterprise data: it often provides the missing bit of crucial context that improves your decision making. But because this type of data doesn’t come from their own internal systems, companies often struggle with data management. In this episod...
Time for a data culture makeover
October 19, 2020 13:29 - 33 minutes - 27 MBIs your data culture a drag? Turning it around requires you to be bold and take action. Join Tim and Juan as they discuss examples of what you should and shouldn’t do, and how to accelerate the transition to data awesomeness. You'll hear actual examples of good (and bad) data culture along with specific steps you can take to improve your own company's data culture. As always, you're welcome to join us on Zoom each week as we record the live episode. Visit data.world/resources/webinars/catal...
95% say exit polls don’t work. 15% say they do.
October 08, 2020 23:39 - 34 minutes - 31.9 MBSince 1848, The Associated Press has been counting and reporting the votes in US elections. But they haven’t always done it the same way. As voter behavior changed over time, AP has continued to evolve their process to provide neutral, third party analysis of our most critical elections. Enterprises have much to learn from how one of the most well known global news agencies has created a data culture that lets them stay agile and keep their approach aligned with the realities of our times. J...
Data work is much bigger than a soccer match
September 30, 2020 23:47 - 32 minutes - 25.9 MBHave you ever heard someone call data a "team sport"? The comparison makes sense: you can’t be successful on your own, you need to work well with peers, you run up against tough opposing forces. But data work is so much more. Join Tim and Juan as they discuss their favorite fundamentals of data culture and why companies often forget to think about them.
What we learned at the first ever data.world summit
September 24, 2020 19:58 - 33 minutes - 30.4 MBJuan and Tim recap the biggest ideas and perspectives shared at this year's data.world summit. In a whirlwind half hour, we boil down insights from a long list of trailblazing data and analytics leaders, including former US Chief Data Scientist DJ Patil, three-time Chief Data Officer Amy Gershkoff Bolles, CEO of PoolParty Software Andreas Blumauer, and more. Oh, and if you're curious about Juan's garage bar, see it for yourself at next week's live broadcast. * Watch each episode being reco...
Hear from DJ Patil and other leading thinkers at data.world summit
September 18, 2020 12:10 - 2 minutes - 2.19 MBGet excited. A half day of new ideas, practical guidance, and journeys into the latest innovations in data practices, technology, and leadership, headlined by DJ Patil (former US Chief Data Scientist) and Amy Gershkoff-Bolles (Chief Data Officer, Bit.ly). All that and more at our inaugural digital event, data.world summit, on September 23rd, 2020. Register now for free at: https://data.world/events/summit/
Data catalog Fight Night: build vs buy
September 17, 2020 03:03 - 31 minutes - 21.9 MBData catalogs are foundational to a successful enterprise data management strategy. But, should you buy one off the rack or build it yourself using open source tools? In this episode, Tim and Juan will debate on build vs buy. Juan will advocate for buy while Tim will champion the build. Who will win? Visit data.world/resources/webinars/catalog-and-cocktails/ to watch and participate in the live program
Should we salute our robot overlords?
September 14, 2020 14:46 - 28 minutes - 19.8 MBEnterprises are looking to ML/AI innovations in data management to accelerate their data strategies and achieve critical business goals. But how much of what we hear about ML/AI is real, and how much is hype? In this episode, Tim and Juan will explore how automation makes data catalogs more powerful and challenge some conventional thinking.
Crowdsource your way to data empowerment
September 04, 2020 01:03 - 29 minutes - 24 MBThe power of the crowd is everywhere these days: we crowdsource products, commercials, and (putting possibly misplaced trust in our fellow humans) the next big snack food flavor. In this episode, Tim and Juan talk about how to apply the best parts of crowdsourcing to enterprise data management. This inclusive approach empowers everyone to participate in data documentation and analysis and continuously improve your company’s knowledge base. We promise. You can also join us live in the virtua...
Semantic Web for the Working Ontologist
August 27, 2020 03:49 - 30 minutes - 28.2 MBTim and Juan are joined by special guests Dean Allemang, Fabien Gandon, and James Handler to discuss their latest book: Semantic Web for the Working Ontologist. Together, these experts look at the past, the present, and the future of the semantic web and debate whether it can truly become the universal medium to exchange data and knowledge across the enterprise. Oh, you'll also hear references to a discount on your very own copy of Dean, Fabien, and James' book. Sorry: that was exclusively ...
How dirty is your data?
August 20, 2020 01:42 - 31 minutes - 28.5 MBJuan and Tim take on all the challenges of data quality in the enterprise. Commiserate with real life horror stories and learn solutions and best practices as we dive deep on a fundamental aspect of data management. You can also join us live in the virtual studio every Wednesday for advance access to the next episode. Then, enjoy an open Q&A with our hosts, guests, and other attendees to share your own perspective, learn from your peers, and talk shop with other data professionals. See you...
A data management chicken and egg
August 12, 2020 23:45 - 31 minutes - 28.7 MBWhat comes first: the data warehouse or the data catalog? It’s a vexing chicken and egg question that data teams must answer. Do you build a data lake/warehouse first and then catalog the data, or should you catalog your data before kicking off your warehouse initiative? Join Juan and Tim as they discuss why and how you can and should do both at the same time. This week's special guest: Jon Loyens, data.world's CPO, co-founder, and co-creator of this podcast's theme song. This 30-minute epi...
Is it time to hire a data product manager?
August 06, 2020 18:32 - 32 minutes - 29.4 MBWho’s on your data team? In Episode 4, we talked about data producers and data consumers. In this episode, we’ll explore how these various personas interact and why we believe a data product manager should sit right smack in the middle. Join Juan, Tim, and Claire Cahill (Director of Product, Data) from The Zebra, for an engaging discussion on this emerging data discipline. This 30-minute episode will also feature: Characteristics of a data product manager What you need to know about knowl...
Is it Time to Hire a Data Product Manager?
August 06, 2020 18:32 - 32 minutes - 29.7 MBWho’s on your data team? In Episode 4, we talked about data producers and data consumers. In this episode, we’ll explore how these various personas interact and why we believe a data product manager should sit right smack in the middle. Join Juan, Tim, and Claire Cahill, director of product data from The Zebra, for an engaging discussion on this emerging data discipline. This 30-minute episode will also feature: Characteristics of a data product manager What you need to know about knowled...
Get data governance right for once
July 30, 2020 02:16 - 31 minutes - 28.4 MBWe cover a lot of ground in Catalog & Cocktails: from data catalogs to data governance, personas, lineage, policy, knowledge graphs, and more. That’s because data management is a broad discipline with so many people, tools, and methodologies. Sorting it all out is tough, and many companies are inclined to ”boil the ocean.” In this episode, Tim and Juan look at how agile data governance provides a roadmap for your successful data journey... without boiling the ocean.