March Data News

Hey there! Wow, what a month it's been! The data community has been abuzz with discussions around Matt Turck's data landscape and the recent SVB (+ Credit Suisse) fiasco.

But enough about the past—April is almost here, and with it comes the?Modern Data Stack conference?in San Francisco. I'm beyond thrilled to visit the city for the first time. If you'd like to?connect with Castor?at the MDS conference or have any must-see weekend recommendations for San Francisco, don't hesitate to reach out!

Now, let's skip to the good part. In this edition 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.
• The?data?person?you should follow right now if you don't already because he/she writes interesting content.
• Show and Tell:?Three great pieces of news from the Castor team.
• A?data meme?to make you smile.

Data Tool

This month, our focus is on?Toucan Toco, a French BI company founded in 2014. Self-financed until?2019, they distinguish themselves with a user-friendly approach to data visualization and storytelling. The platform, designed for non-technical users, simplifies the creation of interactive visualizations from complex data. Boasting a 90% end-user adoption rate, Toucan Toco has attracted prestigious clients like Renault-Nissan, which uses the technology across 5,000 car dealerships, and President Emmanuel Macron, who chose the solution to track the progress of his reforms. As a third-generation BI tool, Toucan Toco offers augmented analytics features. Find out more about?3rd-gen BI tools?and explore the complete?BI tools landscape.

Data News

• MAD 2023, part III: Trends in data infrastructure. In February,?Matt Turck?revealed the much-anticipated?2023 MAD landscape, which we’d all been waiting for since there was no 2022 edition. While the landscape itself is impressive, don't overlook the analysis of data infrastructure trends. It provides valuable insights into data ecosystem consolidation, pressures on the modern data stack, data mesh, products, and contracts. If you've been out of the loop, this article is your one-stop resource to catch up on all the key trends in the ecosystem.

• On data products and how to describe them. Discussions about data products have often been theoretical, with a lack of practicality.?Max Illis, Data Platform Product Manager at OVO, aims to add some "how-to" guidance to the conversation. His insightful article delves into the importance of documenting data products and offers practical tips on doing so, all while incorporating clever library analogies.

• State of the Analytics Engineering Report. dbt recently published a comprehensive survey exploring the "pains, gains, and areas of investment for global data teams," based on 567 survey responses. This report is brimming with valuable insights that data teams can leverage to advocate for appropriate resources, prioritize projects, and plan more effectively for the year ahead. It's a must-read resource that I can't recommend highly enough.

Data Person

This month, we want to shine the spotlight on Christophe Blefari and his fantastic newsletter,?Blef. Christophe expertly curates a weekly data engineering newsletter that, while primarily focused on data engineering, is frequently brimming with insightful analysis of broader data trends and valuable data strategy tips. Christophe's work has been a genuine source of inspiration for me over the past year. If you haven't subscribed yet, you're missing out on a valuable resource.

Welcome to the second edition of our Show & Tell section, where we highlight a new article, a major feature launch, and an upcoming event. Let's dive in!

• Osian llwyd jones, Head of Product for the Data Platform at?Stuart, shared a great?customer story?with us a couple of weeks ago. Since joining Stuart, Osian has played a pivotal role in transitioning the company to a data mesh structure, aiming to "enable every member of the Stuart team to make data-driven decisions in the fastest possible time frame." Discover how they achieve this through clever documentation in his?article.
• Castor + dbt cloud: Our love story with dbt continues and we're excited to announce our integration with dbt Cloud. What does this mean for you? You can now configure your dbt Cloud integration directly from the Integrations tab in Settings.?Try for yourself.

• Can you believe it? The?Fivetran Modern Data Stack Conference?is just two weeks away! Naturally, the Castor team will be in attendance. If you'd like to find us, we'll be stationed at booth 14B or you can set up time to connect?here. We're also hosting a happy hour at Executive Order, a cocktail bar located a stone’s throw away the conference venue. Space is limited, but if you're interested in joining, reply to this email and I'll send you a registration link. We're eager to see you there!

Data Meme

Have you been procrastinating on your documentation efforts lately? This one’s for you.

Cheers,

?? Louise from Castor ??