Summary

Sharing data is a simple concept, but complicated to implement well. There are numerous business rules and regulatory concerns that need to be applied. There are also numerous technical considerations to be made, particularly if the producer and consumer of the data aren't using the same platforms. In this episode Andrew Jefferson explains the complexities of building a robust system for data sharing, the techno-social considerations, and how the Bobsled platform that he is building aims to simplify the process.

Announcements

Hello and welcome to the Data Engineering Podcast, the show about modern data management
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Your host is Tobias Macey and today I'm interviewing Andy Jefferson about how to solve the problem of data sharing

Interview

Introduction
How did you get involved in the area of data management?
Can you start by giving some context and scope of what we mean by "data sharing" for the purposes of this conversation?
What is the current state of the ecosystem for data sharing protocols/practices/platforms?
- What are some of the main challenges/shortcomings that teams/organizations experience with these options?
What are the technical capabilities that need to be present for an effective data sharing solution?
- How does that change as a function of the type of data? (e.g. tabular, image, etc.)
What are the requirements around governance and auditability of data access that need to be addressed when sharing data?
What are the typical boundaries along which data access requires special consideration for how the sharing is managed?
Many data platform vendors have their own interfaces for data sharing. What are the shortcomings of those options, and what are the opportunities for abstracting the sharing capability from the underlying platform?
What are the most interesting, innovative, or unexpected ways that you have seen data sharing/Bobsled used?
What are the most interesting, unexpected, or challenging lessons that you have learned while working on data sharing?
When is Bobsled the wrong choice?
What do you have planned for the future of data sharing?

Contact Info

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Parting Question

From your perspective, what is the biggest gap in the tooling or technology for data management today?

Closing Announcements

Thank you for listening! Don't forget to check out our other shows. Podcast.__init__ covers the Python language, its community, and the innovative ways it is being used. The Machine Learning Podcast helps you go from idea to production with machine learning.
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The intro and outro music is from The Hug by The Freak Fandango Orchestra / CC BY-SA

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