It’s time to launch your digital transformation – but first you’ll need new tools. Buyer, beware: Technology selection is tough because it’s impossible to predict the future. How can leaders take this journey with clarity and confidence? In this episode, Satyen interviews professor Paul Leonardi, author of The Digital Mindset, to learn the answer. Paul is an expert in digital transformation and organizational change, Duca Family Professor of Technology Management at UC Santa Barbara, author of 4 books on technological innovation, and consults major tech companies like Google and Microsoft. Satyen sits down with Paul to discuss the skills leaders need to thrive in a digital landscape, how to demonstrate ROI with data, and why beta testing new software is critical for successful tech selection. --------“Many of our organizations today are not used to thinking about data as a byproduct of actions that we take on the suite of tools that we use to do our work. And a data culture, for me, is one that recognizes that almost everything we do produces data in some way, shape, or form. And we can use those data, maybe to our advantage, but at least we can use those data to explore, ‘Can they tell us things that we might not know or otherwise have access to, if we aren't perceptive and thinking about where those data exist and how we might use them?’” – Paul Leonardi--------Time Stamps*(01:47) How an organizational change expert views behavior and data*(15:04) The importance of beta testing technology’s functionality*(18:04) Skills digital leaders need to thrive in the world of digital algorithms and AI*(22:17) Paul’s inspiration behind authoring The Digital Mindset*(27:42) The 30% knowledge rule of surviving in a digital environment*(38:52) Paul breaks down what a digital mindset is*(46:11) How to successfully convince executives to invest in technology*(54:12) Satyen’s Takeaways--------SponsorThis podcast is presented by Alation.Learn more:* Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.alation.com/podcast/* Alation’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alation/* Satyen’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssangani/--------LinksFollow Paul on LinkedInCheck out Paul’s WebsiteRead Paul’s book The Digital Mindset

Data has never been more readily available, yet the world seems more confusing than ever. In this episode, Satyen interviews Tim Harford, who’s on a mission to help everyone become a Data Radical. As a Senior Columnist for The Financial Times, author of The Data Detective, and host of the Cautionary Tales podcast, Tim joins us ready to change how we view numbers—and in turn, the world. Him and Satyen discuss everything from how he develops ideas for stories driven by data to fostering a spirit of curiosity in how we approach the world (and try to change it). --------“Approach the world and numbers with a spirit of curiosity. Very often we don't behave like we like curiosity. We often like simple answers or we often like to just win an argument. But the world is a confusing place. The world is fascinating—I have questions and maybe the data can help me answer those questions. If that's the spirit with which you approach the data, then obstacles become intriguing. Mysteries become satisfying puzzles. Arguments turn into constructive, exploratory questions and it's just a lot more fun.” - Tim Harford--------Time Stamps* (2:26) How an award-winning storyteller approaches his work* (8:13) Data brings people comfort and knowledge in times of crisis (like the pandemic)* (16:50) A glimpse into Tim’s book The Data Detective* (19:49) The importance of “the stuff around numbers” in increasing data literacy* (25:03) Approaching the world with humility and curiosity* (37:15) How you can be an undercover economist* (39:10) Satyen’s Takeaways --------SponsorThis podcast episode is presented by Experian.Learn more:* Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.alation.com/podcast/* Alation’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alation/* Satyen’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssangani/--------LinksFollow Tim on LinkedInCheck out Tim's Podcast Cautionary TalesRead Tim’s Book “The Data Detective”

The second season of the Data Radicals podcast launches on February 15th! I’m your host, Satyen Sangani.In TV, some second seasons can be disappointing. After a triumphant season one, there’s no more story to tell.Fortunately, that’s not the case in tech. Innovations, discoveries, and market movement — plus a new round of guest stars — guarantee plenty of plots and intrigue, all with one common theme: data.Last season, we heard from industry leaders, journalists, analysts, and founders. They gave expert advice for using data to navigate any struggle: from overhauling your company’s governance strategy… to even getting a date!These data radicals see things that nobody else can. And this next season is no different. We have incredible guests lined up who will give you the tools you need to bring your business – and career – to the next level. We’re welcoming guests like: Tim Harford, of the BBC’s More or Less; Jonathan Reichental, Author of Data Governance for Dummies; Mike Capone, CEO of Qlik (and Talend), Ameen Kazerouni, CTO of OrangeTheory, and so many more.So tap the follow button and get ready to hear radical strategies from the most innovative minds in the world.Welcome to season two of Data Radicals!Powered by the team at Alation. 

Data governance isn’t easy. It demands a vision, strategy, and clear-cut plan that ultimately supports the business. Many have tried, and failed, to lead governance initiatives. What can we learn from the rare few who have led these tricky projects to success?Learn top tips in this supercut episode, which compiles the best data governance advice from season 1. Featuring Bob Seiner of KIK Consulting, Jennifer Belissent, Principal Data Strategist at Snowflake, Francesco Marzoni, CDO of Inkga Group, Michelle Hoiseth, former CDO of Parexel, and more!--------“We were, very much, very careful about using language around data enablement, not data governance. Yes, there’s a certain amount of this, of course, that’s about control. But it’s control and service to the aims of the business. It’s not a gate control for the sake of pure defensive posture. As a business, we needed to be able to do more with our data. It’s been an educational journey and it had to be timed with the advanced analytics initiatives.” - Michelle Hoiseth, former CDO of Parexel--------Time Stamps* (1:12) What is Data Governance?* (4:38) How to get stakeholders excited about governance* (7:10) Making your implementation a success--------SponsorThis podcast is presented by Alation.Learn more:* Data Radicals: https://www.alation.com/podcast/* Alation’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alation/* Satyen’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssangani/--------Links* Connect with guest Bob Seiner on LinkedIn* Connect with guest Paola Saibene on LinkedIn* Follow guest Francesco Marzoni on LinkedIn* Follow guest Jennifer Belissent on LinkedIn* Follow guest Wendy Turner-Williams on LinkedIn

The modern data stack, sparked by the Redshift revolution and furthered by cloud-platform players like Snowflake and Databricks, forever changed the data integration landscape. Realizing that ETL tools badly underperformed in the cloud, Fivetran strengthened the stack with an ELT pipeline to perform transformations within the data warehouse environment. George Fraser, Fivetran Co-Founder and CEO, and Taylor Brown, Fivetran Co-Founder and COO, join us in this episode to discuss their founding story — from Y Combinator to $5.6 billion valuation — and the hard reality that data’s role is often to prove your assumptions are wrong.--------“Taylor was the one who really locked onto this term years ago. I remember him saying ‘modern data stack, that's what we're doing.’ And it was not a commonly used term at the time. He's like, ‘that's the term we need to lock onto.’ Over the years it has really grown, but he has a decent amount to do with the present day popularity of that term.” — George Fraser--------Time Stamps* (0:00) A deep dive into Fivetran* (10:10) Navigating the product journey* (15:02) Normalization vs denormalization* (17:00) The power of saying “no”* (20:15) Inventing the Modern Data Stack* (27:26) The future of Fivetran* (29:47) Making data-driven decisions* (33:20) Advice for building your own data culture--------SponsorThis podcast is presented by Alation.Learn more:* Data Radicals: https://www.alation.com/podcast/* Alation’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alation/* Satyen’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssangani/--------LinksConnect with George on LinkedInConnect with Taylor on LinkedInCheck out Fivetran

DataOps is having a moment. Where does it sit in the data lifecycle? And how is this emerging trend changing data management today? To find out, Satyen sits down with guest speaker Michele Goetz, author of The Forrester Wave: Enterprise Data Catalogs for DataOps.--------“DataOps is really the engineering and practices of designing and developing data capabilities, launching them out to production and ensuring that they're providing value and delivering on the outcomes that businesses expect in being able to use that data.” — Guest Speaker Michele Goetz--------Time Stamps* (0:00) The birth of DataOps* (2:43) What is DataOps?* (11:18) DataOps and the Data Mesh* (18:41) Diving into data prep* (22:09) Tackling data governance for your data catalog* (31:17) The future of the data cataloging landscape--------SponsorThis podcast is presented by Alation.Learn more:* Data Radicals: https://www.alation.com/podcast/* Alation’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alation/* Satyen’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssangani/--------LinksConnect with guest speaker Michele on LinkedInCheck out Forrester

Librarians have played a crucial role in the management of data throughout history. From the halls of the Library of Alexandria to the Library of Congress all the way to your elementary school: librarians have been the guardians of our knowledge for thousands of years. But now that we’re in the digital age…has that role shifted? That’s what we’re exploring today.Deb Seys, Senior Director of Learning and Communities at Alation, is a passionate librarian who has made the jump from the dewey decimal system to the data catalogue. She shares with us how data is the most powerful tool in a librarian’s arsenal, how data can better your user experience, the steps to finding the best answers for any question, and much more. --------"One of the most misunderstood things about data is that it’s this objective hard thing that sits there and reveals something. It’s just not true at all. A lot of the work of documenting metrics is about what's important to a group of people, and then using that to tell a story or make a decision." - Deb Seys--------Time Stamps* (0:00) How librarians have championed data for millennia * (4:25) The modern-day librarian’s biggest ally is the data catalogue * (8:24) Understanding the basics of data* (14:45) How to be a data-driven librarian* (17:09) The relationship between data and user experience at eBay* (22:04) The secret to finding the right answers* (26:52) Creating the right data mindset--------SponsorThis podcast is presented by Alation.Learn more:* Data Radicals: https://www.alation.com/podcast/* Alation’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alation/* Satyen’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssangani/--------LinksConnect with Deb on LinkedInCheck out Alation

In this episode, CDO Steve Pimblett of The Very Group describes the four pillars of extracting value from data and shares how he’s built a successful B2C data team. Steve shares his advice for CDOs just starting off or maybe years into the role. He discusses optimizing your data strategy, making your business more data-driven, leveraging account managers, and much more.--------“Set up some sort of an internal agency to see how you can make business areas more data-driven.” - Steve Pimblett--------Time Stamps* (2:28) What CDOs should know on day one* (8:44) A deep dive into The Very Group* (14:26) How to approach your company’s data strategy* (20:56) Using data to better approach tough conversations* (22:59) Account managers are your secret weapon--------SponsorThis podcast is presented by Alation.Learn more:* Data Radicals: https://www.alation.com/podcast/* Alation’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alation/* Satyen’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssangani/--------LinksConnect with Steve on LinkedInCheck out The Very Group

With the data space more complex than ever, many people throw their hands in the air, and use solutions that fix many (but not all) of their problems. Today’s guest saw that complexity, and leaned into it. Zhamak Dehghani is the creator of the data mesh. Where others saw chaos, she saw an opportunity. Zhamak dives into decentralization, all things data mesh, how data architecture can empower your workers, and much more.--------“Seeing the real world problems made me curious about the data space—scratching the surface and seeing the discord between the reality of the complex world we're living in with data. The solutions weren't up to the task for dealing with that complexity, so it got me to look further for a solution.” — Zhamak Dehghani--------Time Stamps* (0:00) A brief history of data architecture* (2:45) An intro to the data mesh* (13:08) How analytics impact data engineers* (18:54) The socio-technical approach* (23:26) Getting started in the data mesh* (28:59) Data mesh vs. Data fabric--------SponsorThis podcast is presented by Alation.Learn more:* Data Radicals: https://www.alation.com/podcast/* Alation’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alation/* Satyen’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssangani/--------LinksConnect with Zhamak on LinkedInCheck out Zhamak's book Data Mesh

What if you could combine data across industries and use cases? FAIR data is Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. These are the tenants that Francesco Marzoni, Chief Data and Analytics Officer of Ingka Group, has made central to his data-driven career. In today’s episode, Francesco discusses the FAIR principles, data silos, the importance of data governance, and much more.--------“The biggest lesson I got during the pandemic was the importance of having usability in data assets you can tap into and how much it can hurt you if you don't have usable data assets in times of crisis.” — Francesco Marzoni--------Time Stamps* (0:00) How Aristotle impacts data today* (2:45) Exploring FAIR* (14:07) Francesco used FAIR to navigate Nestlé through the pandemic* (20:52) The reusability of data* (27:00) How Francesco creates data programs* (29:54) Future opportunities in data--------SponsorThis podcast is presented by Alation.Learn more:* Data Radicals: https://www.alation.com/podcast/* Alation’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alation/* Satyen’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssangani/--------LinksConnect with Francesco on LinkedInCheck out Ingka Group