Is There a Balance Between Centralization and Decentralization?

Are we doing data and analytics correctly? Self service, centralization vs decentralization, analytics vs operations… so many aspects that data teams need to consider.

Join this week’s episode of Catalog & Cocktails with hosts Juan and Tim as they speak with special guest Bethany Lyons to discuss how we should have a separation between data operations an data analytics

Key Takeaways:

• [00:10 - 02:36] Meet Bethany Lyons, Chief Proctor Officer at KAWA Analytics
• [02:40 - 04:23] What's your favorite board game?
• [04:24 - 05:29] Encouraging self-service analytics is why Bethany thinks we are doing data analytics wrong
• [05:30 - 08:04] How the self-service analytics problem started
• [08:10 - 11:12] How business operators utilize data, and examples with Tableau deployment
• [11:13 - 14:09] Tying business logic to an analytics tools and what could go wrong
• [14:10 - 15:55] "Is this an analytics request or an operational request?"
• [15:55 - 16:35] Changing parameters and asking the right system
• [16:35 - 19:35] Evolving from self-service analytics to self-service governance programs
• [19:39 - 21:14] Spreadsheet data, security, and incentives
• [21:22 - 24:25] Self-service governance, shared accountability paired with great security
• [24:26 - 25:50] Data stewards and ownership over business areas
• [25:51 - 27:04] Sharing, auditing, and tracking
• [27:12 - 28:50] Decentralizing accountability and mindsets when dealing with data
• [28:50 - 32:40] How to make the switch to prioritizing decentralizing accountability over who writes SQL queries, and KAWA's role
• [32:41 - 35:15] Centralized policy frameworks and definitions
• [35:22 - 39:05] Thoughts on self-service operations and the centralization of analytics
• [39:06 - 40:52] Critical business logic and Excel spreadsheets
• [40:53 - 42:06] Centralizing business logic vs decentralizing business logic
• [42:06 - 44:33] Avoiding business logic being owned by one individual, and looking at decision models
• [44:33 - 45:45] Critical documents, and the idea of a Google Drive for data
• [45:49 - 52:41] Lightning round
• [52:42 - 57:26] Takeaways
• [57:44 - 01:00:16] Three questions