Data & BI
Turning scattered, messy data into decisions you can trust - Power BI and dashboards, data warehouses and modelling, ETL and data pipelines, and the analytics and reporting practices that make your numbers reliable enough to act on.
18 articles · written by senior engineers
Data Mesh: A Practical Look at Decentralized Data
Data mesh is as much an organizational shift as a technical one. Here is what decentralized, domain-owned data actually involves, how it differs from a data lake, and the honest question of whether you need it.
Data Pipeline Orchestration: A Practical Guide
Cron scripts break the moment data work gets serious. Here is how orchestration actually holds a pipeline together, and how to pick the tool that fits your team.
What Is a Modern Data Stack? Components and How to Choose
Cloud, modular and mostly managed - the modern data stack has quietly replaced the old monolithic BI suite. Here is what each layer does and how to choose the right stack for your scale.
Self-Service BI: Benefits, Pitfalls, and How to Roll It Out
Let business teams answer their own questions without waiting on IT - but do it wrong and you get five versions of the truth. Here is how to get the benefits of self-service BI without the chaos.
Data Governance: What It Is and Why Your Data Strategy Needs It
Conflicting numbers, unclear ownership, compliance worry - data governance is what fixes the chaos. Here is a plain-spoken guide to what it is and where to begin.
OLAP vs OLTP: The Two Database Workloads Explained
OLTP is the operational database behind your app; OLAP is the analytical one behind your reports. They are built for opposite jobs, which is why you rarely run heavy analytics on your live app database.
ETL vs ELT: Which Data Integration Approach Fits Your Stack?
Both patterns get data from your source systems into a warehouse or lake - the difference is whether you shape it before or after it lands. Here is what that choice changes.
Data Warehouse vs Data Lake: Which Does Your Business Need?
Two buzzwords, two very different jobs. Here is what a data warehouse and a data lake each do well, where each struggles, and why most organisations end up using both.
From Excel to Power BI: Migrating Legacy Reporting Without Losing Trust
The hard part of moving off spreadsheets is not the technology. It is the day the new number disagrees with the old one - and what your team does next.
Power BI Embedded: Putting Analytics Inside Your SaaS Product
Your customers keep asking for reporting, and hand-building charts has become a permanent side-quest. Here's an honest look at whether embedding Power BI in your product is the better answer.
Hire Power BI Developers: Skills, Rates & How to Vet Them
Power BI looks easy, which is exactly why bad hires are so common. Here is what separates a real Power BI developer from a chart-builder, and how to test for it before you commit.
Power BI Implementation Cost: What Drives It and How to Budget
Licences are the small, predictable part of a Power BI budget. The money goes into the data underneath - modelling, plumbing and cleanup - and into getting people to actually use what you build.