All Hands on Data #71
Data Tooling and Microwaves? This week's AHoD will help heat up your week. Check it out below!
The Road to Composable Data Systems: Thoughts on the Last 15 Years and the Future
The author, the investor of the pandas Python package, expresses a positive opinion on the fragmentation of tooling in the data space, what he refers to as "The Great Decoupling". In this post, he points to the increased modularity and interoperability, particularly among open source tools, as a value-add for practitioners in the space. He definitely knows the space. - John Forstmeier
Python Control Flow Cheat Sheet
Who doesn't love a cheatsheet? If you are new to Python or just don't use it on the regular, this is a quick reference to guide you through the basics. - Katt Baum
Searching for sustainability in data center cooling
Data centers are important for maintaining servers, but they are also well known for their impact on the environment. In order to maintain our data centers while also limiting their impact on our environment, a solution is needed. Several solutions are explored in this article such as liquid and immersion cooling, cold plates, green IoT monitoring, and more. - Reed Cowan
Seven Reasons why Data Security Needs AI
The article explores the transformation in data governance, highlighting how companies are moving away from centralized data storage to more spread-out systems. This shift brings challenges, especially in ensuring data safety and accessibility. The piece emphasizes the role of emerging technologies, particularly AI, in addressing these challenges. For those immersed in the data realm, understanding these dynamics is crucial. - Johnathan Rodriguez
Upgrade your Modern Data Stack
I appreciate the focus on incremental evolution, from marketing terminology such as "big data" and "modern data stack" to the tools making up the data stack. Evolution was necessary to get us to where we are today. But ultimately, each organization needs to make decisions, whether it be tooling or human factors, that best meets their own business needs. My take is "stop following the pack," instead focus on what you have available and what your company needs from data. - Shawn Fergus
Everything tries to become a one-stop-shop
Randy compares data tooling to microwaves. The problem is, no matter how many features or improvements you make to a microwave, people won't care. They just want an easy way to heat their food. In much the same way, data tooling has a problem with people trying to build all-in-one solutions. Most people only use the tool for a very basic feature. Are we wasting time trying to build holistic data platforms? - Blake Burch