Data teams often emerge from executive FOMO – chasing AI trends or vague "data-driven" aspirations, but Blake Burch, AI & Data Leader, reveals most remain stuck in setup mode, creating dashboards nobody uses. Team members rarely understand how their work impacts business outcomes, leading to data graveyards instead of value, with success measured by vibes rather than revenue. Join us as Blake proposes embedding data experts within business units, developing "full-stack" practitioners, and designing initiatives that begin with clear business actions. Is it time to rethink your data team? Pour yourself a strong one – this conversation might sting.

Data teams often emerge from executive FOMO – chasing AI trends or vague "data-driven" aspirations, but Blake Burch, AI &amp; Data Leader, reveals most remain stuck in setup mode, creating dashboards nobody uses. Team members rarely understand how their work impacts business outcomes, leading to data graveyards instead of value, with success measured by vibes rather than revenue. Join us as Blake proposes embedding data experts within business units, developing "full-stack" practitioners, and designing initiatives that begin with clear business actions. Is it time to rethink your data team? Pour yourself a strong one – this conversation might sting.

Catalog and Cocktails is the honest, No-BS, non-sales-y podcast about data and analytics. This is your unfiltered chat about everything interesting in data and analytics. Join Juan Sequeda and Tim Gasper to explore emerging topics and hear from thought leaders, practitioners and executives across the data and analytics space.

Catalog and Cocktails is the honest, No-BS, non-sales-y podcast about data and analytics. This is your unfiltered chat about everything interesting in data and analytics. Join Juan Sequeda and Tim Gasper to explore emerging topics and hear from thought leaders, practitioners and executives across the data and analytics space.

Catalog & Cocktails: The Honest, No-BS Data Podcast

(Most) Data Teams Are a Waste of Resources with Blake Burch

Can't believe it's already been 6 years. Thank you to our amazing guests and specially our listeners. In this season finale episode, Juan and Tim rant about the honest no-bs discussions they've had in 2026 and what are the topics they are looking forward to cover in the next season. 

Can't believe it's already been 6 years. Thank you to our amazing guests and specially our listeners. In this season finale episode, Juan and Tim rant about the honest no-bs discussions they've had in 2026 and what are the topics they are looking forward to cover in the next season.&nbsp;

6th YEAR SEASON FINALE: Juan and Tim Rant

Jason Doerr has spent years watching governance programs undermine themselves by cataloging everything without a use case, naming data stewards who have nothing to actually do, and building central teams that become blockers instead of enablers. In this episode, he walks through what pragmatic governance actually looks like: start with use cases, give stewards real work to action on, and let the central team set principles rather than police behavior. He also digs into PADU (Preferred, Acceptable, Discouraged, Unacceptable) as a practical roadmap framework, how LLMs can accelerate semantic layer creation without generating vanity metrics, and why the governance operating model is shifting toward agentic management ... whether the governance community is ready for it or not.

Jason Doerr has spent years watching governance programs undermine themselves by cataloging everything without a use case, naming data stewards who have nothing to actually do, and building central teams that become blockers instead of enablers. In this episode, he walks through what pragmatic governance actually looks like: start with use cases, give stewards real work to action on, and let the central team set principles rather than police behavior. He also digs into PADU (Preferred, Acceptable, Discouraged, Unacceptable) as a practical roadmap framework, how LLMs can accelerate semantic layer creation without generating vanity metrics, and why the governance operating model is shifting toward agentic management ... whether the governance community is ready for it or not.

Pragmatic Use-Case-Driven Data Governance with Jason Doerr

This is the takeaway episode with Jason Doerr who has spent years watching governance programs undermine themselves. He walks through what pragmatic governance actually looks like and digs into PADU (Preferred, Acceptable, Discouraged, Unacceptable) as a practical roadmap framework. 

This is the takeaway episode with Jason Doerr who has spent years watching governance programs undermine themselves. He walks through what pragmatic governance actually looks like and digs into PADU (Preferred, Acceptable, Discouraged, Unacceptable) as a practical roadmap framework.&nbsp;

(Most) Data Teams Are a Waste of Resources with Blake Burch

In 1 playlist(s)

Catalog & Cocktails: The Honest, No-BS Data Podcast

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips