How was your back-to-school month? On our side, things have been busy. The CastorDoc team attended both Big Data Paris and Big Data London. But, there’s no slowing down. We're already getting excited for the Snowflake Data Cloud World Tour in the US, followed by dbt Coalesce. If you missed us in Europe in September, you’ll see a lot of us in the US this October. You’ll find all the details of our whereabouts on our events page. Enough talking, let’s dive in.? As usual, you’ll find:
- One?data?tool?that we believe is worth digging into as a?data?person. We will also provide where it fits in the?data?ecosystem.
- A selection of the?most delightful articles?we read this month along with a quick teaser.
- Show and Tell: Three great pieces of news from the CastorDoc team.
- A data meme to make you smile.?
MotherDuck raised a $52.5 million Series B, less than a year after raising their Series A, pushing their total funding to $100 million. MotherDuck offers a?serverless data analytics platform based on the open-source database DuckDB. MotherDuck aims to simplify data analytics. Unlike other heavy-duty databases designed for massive datasets, MotherDuck targets smaller workloads between 1GB and 10GB, and it does it with speed and cost-efficiency. It's challenging the notion that distributed architectures are the one-size-fits-all solution for scaling challenges.
Sure, there are plenty of storage solutions available. But MotherDuck claims its edge in performance, cost, and flexibility. DuckDB can run from almost anywhere, including a web browser, and typically outperforms alternative solutions.
Check out where we've slotted MotherDuck in our data storage landscape. You can find a full landscape of the data storage ecosystem here.
- Tell me What you Want, What you Really, Really Want: How to Identify the Real Business Question. This piece by Irina Kukuyeva is a how-to guide for developing data products that actually get used. It stresses the importance of understanding the context—why something needs to be done, what exactly needs to be done, and how to go about it—before diving into development. This template helps in aligning the team on scope, objectives, and priorities. The ultimate goal is to pivot from being reactive to proactive, thereby delivering high-impact work in less time and strengthening partnerships within the organization. Why It Matters: In a world where we often find ourselves drowning in 'quick questions' and 'simple requests,' this article gives us a roadmap to navigate the chaos. It focuses on going beyond just executing tasks to understanding the bigger picture. This is critical for any team, but especially for those in data roles, to transition from being viewed as a 'cost center' to a value-adding unit. It's a (long) must-read for anyone tired of building data products that collect digital dust.
- The key to building a high-performing data team is structured onboarding. In this piece, Sam Bail reflects on the key ingredient to building high-performing data teams: structured onboarding. Drawing from her experience, she emphasizes the critical role of an onboarding document and a "bootcamp" phase in setting the tone for excellence and speeding up productivity. She lays out the components of an effective onboarding document, from system access to key company documents, and explains the objectives of a bootcamp phase. By investing in structured onboarding, teams can operate more efficiently and foster a culture of excellence.
- Building a Data Stack aligned with your Business Needs. In the first episode of my podcast, I sat down with Ethan Aaron to unpack the essentials of building a data stack from scratch. The discussion was so insightful that I turned it into an article. The key takeaway? It's less about the tools you use and more about the business outcomes you aim for, especially in today's economic climate. The article covers three data use cases—analytics, automation, and data products—and offers practical advice on tool selection. Remember, company size doesn't dictate data maturity; alignment with business goals does. It’s a good read if you’re in the process of building your data infrastructure.
- Feature of the month: Curated Content. We've refined CastorDoc specifically for business users. The new Business User View eliminates technical clutter, focusing on what's essential for your role. And for those who need it, the Expert View is still available. The updates also include smarter default search filters, so you can find the data you need more efficiently. These changes aim to enhance ease of use, boost efficiency, and ensure the data you see is relevant to you.
- Connect with CastorDoc This October. We've got a packed schedule ahead, and we'd love for you to join us. If you're in NYC, come show off your ping-pong skills at SPIN next Monday. For those attending Coalesce, don't miss our "Data by the Pool" event. We'll also make stops in Chicago and Santa Clara as part of the Snowflake Data Cloud World Tour. Check out our full event calendar here.
Trouble keeping up with all the tools of the Modern Data Stack? Us too. Maybe this guide will help you find your way through the tools.
