Bob Muglia - Why We Need to Move Beyond SQL, the Power of Knowledge Graphs, History Lessons, and much more!
Oct 11, 2023
auto_awesome
Bob Muglia, former CEO of Snowflake and Microsoft veteran, talks about moving beyond SQL, the power of knowledge graphs, the evolution of databases, and the future of AI. He explores the challenges of pre-SQL databases, Snowflake's approach to data management, Microsoft's mistakes with tablets, the need for surpassing SQL query languages, the rise of digital modeling, and the importance of imbuing AI with human values.
SQL revolutionized databases, enabling high-consistency transactions, schema modifications, and easier data extraction for reporting.
Differentiating databases based on strengths and using specialized databases, along with relational knowledge graphs, can revolutionize business modeling and data applications.
Deep dives
Bob's motivation for writing a book
Bob decided to write a book because he felt he had valuable insights and experiences to share with others. Despite acknowledging that writing a book was a lot of work and not his primary expertise, he wanted to document his learnings and help readers learn something from his career working with entrepreneurs and data entrepreneurs.
Evolution of databases and the impact of SQL
Bob discussed the evolution of databases, starting from fragmented and primitive options like hierarchical and network databases to the revolutionary introduction of SQL. SQL brought significant advancements, such as the ability to perform high-consistency level transactions, modify data schemas, and make data extraction for reporting easier. Bob observed that SQL-based databases dominated the market and continue to be widely used today.
The need for different database systems
Bob highlighted the importance of differentiating databases based on their strengths in operational workloads, high transaction volumes, or analytics and working with large amounts of data. He emphasized that rather than having a single database to handle all scenarios, a pipeline connecting specialized databases would be more effective. Bob also noted the emergence of relational knowledge graphs and their potential to revolutionize business modeling and data applications.
The future of data modeling and governance
Bob discussed the shift towards a model-driven world, where modeling becomes more prevalent in representing physical devices, businesses, and AI-based systems. He emphasized the need for databases that can store semantic models for businesses and data, aiding in governance and access control. Bob acknowledged the challenges in current data management practices but expressed optimism about building solutions that align with business models and integrate semantic layers with large language models and AI technologies.
Bob Muglia joins the show to talk about why we need to move beyond SQL, semantic models, the power of knowledge graphs, the past, present, and future of databases, and much more.
Bob has a storied history in the data space, having significant involvement with Microsoft Office, SQL Server, Snowflake (former CEO), and much more. It's rare to meet someone with such a deep involvement in the creation of our industry, and this was a fascinating conversation.
Also, check out Bob's book, "The Datapreneurs." One of the best books about the data industry I've read in ages.