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Notes on dataarchitecture.

Short essays on architecture, cost, hiring and AI: one cartoon, one idea, most days of the week. No tutorials, no listicles.

Jan 15, 2026 Data Architecture

The Data Trust Paradox - Why 67% Don't Believe

Data trust is asymmetric. You lose it fast. You earn it slowly.

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Jan 14, 2026 Technical Debt & Economics

Technical Debt Is Like Credit Card Interest - It Compounds

Think of technical debt like a credit card. Your data platform maxed it out years ago. Your engineers? They're stuck paying the minimum …

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Jan 13, 2026 Technical Debt & Economics

Data Consultancy vs Data Products - The Expensive Confusion

A data team that only consults will never scale. A data team that only builds will never be used.

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Jan 12, 2026 Data Architecture Fundamentals

What Is a Data Architect?

Data engineers solve problems. Data architects help decide which problems are worth solving.

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Jan 11, 2026 Organizational Dynamics

Architecture Advisory: The 3 Questions I Ask First

In week one of any architecture review, I ask the same 3 questions.

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Jan 10, 2026 Technical Debt & Economics

Why Your AI Project Failed at the Data Layer

Rule of thumb: AI success is 20% model and 80% data infrastructure.

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Jan 9, 2026 Technical Debt & Economics

Legacy Modernization: Break or Transform

Some legacy systems should be replaced. Most should just be wrapped.

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Jan 8, 2026 Organizational Dynamics

Hero Dependency: Why Your Best Work Makes You Replaceable

The best proof of your value is a team that doesn't need you anymore.

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Jan 7, 2026 Data Architecture

Shadow Data Costs Your Team 8-9 Hours/Week

Your team can lose 8-9 hours/week to shadow data. And they actually don't call it that.

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Jan 6, 2026 Technical Debt & Economics

GenAI Risks: The Billion-Euro Wake-Up Call

GenAI failures are poised to cost enterprises billions in wasted budget. Many won't be tech failures.

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