Think back to when you were first learning to swim. How’d you do it? Chances are, you weren’t thrown into the ocean being circled by sharks. We sure hope not, anyway.

You probably picked it up under the watch of a lifeguard in most cases.But once it became second nature, the lifeguard didn’t hold SO much power. Well, data engineers are the lifeguard, and if there isn’t a checks and balances system between them and the business teams, the engineers will be determining your every move in AND out of the water.

Join Catalog & Cocktails hosts Juan and Tim, with special guest Allison Sagraves as they discuss how you get in the water by yourself without drowning.

Key Takeaways:

• [00:06 - 04:15] Introduction & Cheers
• [04:18 - 05:31] Beach, lake, or swimming pool?
• [05:35 - 07:17] Entering the data pool without drowning
• [07:28 - 09:40] The pool is like the new sandbox
• [09:42 - 13:53] Cutting through confusion and BS
• [14:00 - 17:03] Data literacy and understanding that everyone needs to be trained on all things
• [17:09 - 18:10] A dog paddle towards more technical areas of focus during a transition
• [18:16 - 20:36] The idea of data products
• [20:37 - 23:52] Why Allison cannot stand the phrase "data is the new oil"
• [23:54 - 29:34] Building data products is not an easy thing to do
• [29:37 - 32:33] Culture and a digital mindset
• [32:38 - 36:25] Allison's experience as the CDO at M&T Bank for 30 years
• [37:28 - 41:40] The data pool analogy, and the lifeguard for that data
• [44:14 - 51:08] Lightning round
• [51:12 - 56:00] Takeaways
• [56:06 - 01:02:21] Three questions
• [01:02:28 - 01:03:27] Next week's episode