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Episode 230:

The Cynical Data Guy: Data Tech Debt, Data Mesh, and Dashboard Directives

February 26, 2025

This week on The Data Stack Show, Eric and John welcome back Matt Kelliher-Gibson for another edition of the Cynical Data Guy. The three go through their hot-takes lightning round as they discuss the challenges faced by data teams, focusing on technical debt and the concept of data mesh. They critique the illusion of productivity in data teams, the pitfalls of complex SQL queries, and the difficulties of implementing data mesh in organizations. The conversation emphasizes the importance of clarity, governance, and practical strategies in managing data while also exploring the potential of AI to optimize SQL queries and reduce technical debt, highlighting the need for balanced human oversight. Stay cynical! 

Notes:

Highlights from this week’s conversation include:

  • The Return of the Cynical Data Guy (0:14)
  • Risks of SQL Complexity (2:16)
  • Technical Debt in Data (4:34)
  • Data Mesh Critique (6:38)
  • Governance vs. Decentralization (9:55)
  • Never Let a Stakeholder Tell You They Need a Dashboard (12:05)
  • Dashboard vs. Table (13:34)
  • Organizational Dynamics in Data Requests (16:35)
  • AI and Prompt Writing (19:43)
  • Search Techniques and User Behavior (21:20)
  • Discussion on Code Optimization Tools (23:19)
  • Final Thoughts and Takeaways (24:47)

 

The Data Stack Show is a weekly podcast powered by RudderStack, the CDP for developers. Each week we’ll talk to data engineers, analysts, and data scientists about their experience around building and maintaining data infrastructure, delivering data and data products, and driving better outcomes across their businesses with data.

RudderStack helps businesses make the most out of their customer data while ensuring data privacy and security. To learn more about RudderStack visit rudderstack.com.

About the Podcast

Each week we’ll talk to data engineers, analysts, and data scientists about their experience around building and maintaining data infrastructure, delivering data and data products, and driving better outcomes across their businesses with data.

To keep up to date with our future episodes, subscribe to our podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google, or the player of your choice.

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