October Data News

Hi there,

I hope you’re back from a great weekend of Halloween celebrations ??

October has been a busy month for the CastorDoc team. We have been running around the world for dbt Coalesce and other data conferences. But fear not, I’m back just in time to write this newsletter.

As per 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?key articles?we read this month along with a quick teaser.
• Show and Tell: some news from the CastorDoc team.
• A data meme to make you smile.

Data Tool

There is a new data observability kid on the block. Pantomath raised a $14M Series A to tackle data pipeline failure. Isn’t the data observability tool market saturated? that was also my thought. But seems like VCs have not totally turned their back on the data ecosystem, after all. So, what sets Pantomath apart?

Unlike traditional solutions focusing solely on data quality—like monitoring data volume and freshness— Pantomath claims to take things a step further. It continuously observes both jobs and datasets in real-time, across various data platforms, all while providing context on how these elements fit into the overall data pipeline. This way, users can pinpoint exactly what's failing, where, and why. Intrigued to see where Pantomath ranks in our comprehensive data observability benchmark? Check it out below. You can find our full data observability benchmark here.

Data News

• And that’s a wrap! dbt Coalesce was the topic of the month in the data community. Whether you attended or not, this article is a must. Tristan Handy provides an essential recap of the key announcements made at Coalesce, covering new features like dbt mesh, dbt explorer, cloud CLI, and the dbt Semantic Layer powered by MetricFlow. He also delves into the transition of dbt from an open-source initiative to a commercialized product—a hot topic that has generated a lot of hallway discussions at Coalesce. Anyway, this piece serves as an excellent Coalesce roundup.
• Choosing Your Battles. I’m a long-time fan of Katie Bauer, and her pieces resonate so much because they come from genuine experience. This article is about choosing your battles as a data leader. Katie underscores the dilemma data professionals face in balancing the urgency of multiple departmental issues. The article advocates for judiciously choosing projects that have organizational buy-in, stressing that the real skill lies not just in identifying problems but in strategically allocating resources to solve them effectively.
• 5 Generative AI Use Cases Companies Can Implement Today. This is an interesting piece from Barr Moses on how you can implement AI in your organization today. We’re all conscious AI can speed up and automate a lot of processes - but it’s always easy to see which ones and how. This piece lists a few use cases you can look at according to your industry. The author also mentions some considerations to take into account before playing with AI: supplement your tech stack & secure the right team. But you’ll have to read the full piece to understand what’s meant here.

Show and Tell?

Feature of the month: AI assistant - generate SQL. Just type a simple text request, and Castor Assistant will generate a tailored SQL query for you. Whether you're seeking specific data values, need assistance with analytical methodology, or have questions about a data asset, Castor Assistant has you covered. Our aim? To make your workflow smoother and data insights more accessible. Try it out now.

Data Meme

Saving the best for last! If data documentation has been on your mind a lot lately, perhaps it's high time to put it at the top of your to-do list.

Until next time,

?? Louise from CastorDoc ??