CDO Matters Podcast CDO Matters Ep. 80 | Data Observability Demystified
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Jul 11, 2025 Barr Moses, CEO of Monte Carlo, delves into the realm of data observability, emphasizing its importance in ensuring data reliability. She discusses how organizations can catch data issues early to build trust and improve decision-making, citing Unity's $100 million loss as a cautionary tale. With insights into leveraging AI for data governance and transitioning to an exceptions-based approach, Moses highlights the evolving landscape of data management. The conversation encourages data professionals to embrace their roles as strategic consultants.
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Data Observability Origins and Need
- Data observability applies software engineering concepts of reliability to data and AI to ensure trustworthiness.
- Hopes and prayers are no longer enough; teams need systematic observability to catch data issues early.
Costly Data Failures
- Unity lost $100 million and saw its stock drop 37% due to a single schema change in 2019 or 2020.
- Citibank faced a $400 million fine for bad data quality practices a few years later, showing stakes are rising.
Four Root Causes of Data Issues
- Data observability encompasses data, code, systems, and models to provide full root cause analysis of issues.
- True observability lets teams quickly trace problems to one or more of these four components.