Erik on Software

Community Comment: Part 23 Architecture diagrams can often misleadDatabricks isn't a storage solutionDatabricks is a Hadoop successorBoth ETL and ELT involve input & ouput

The comments I provided in reaction to a community discussion thread:
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6968623122342195200?commentUrn=urn%3Ali%3Acomment%3A%28activity%3A6968623122342195200%2C6968866130778107904%29

Product Manager at Data Modeling Product Firm:

It's interesting how data storage technologies drive the whole data industry. Basically, companies like Databricks or Snowflake, which provide data storage solutions, create the world of data, and all other companies have to adapt their product to remain in the stream.

Gfesser: Databricks isn't a "data storage solution", and arguably, the "source" and "storage" areas of the diagram in this post are misleading. For example, why is Hadoop listed only as a potential source? Usage of Hadoop has certainly decreased significantly over time, but it's not really a source: it's technically an alternative to Databricks (after all, Hadoop is a predecessor). Perhaps most confusing are the arrows between source and storage for "ELT" and "reverse ETL". Part of me chuckles when hearing all the recent vendor talk about reverse ETL, wondering when "reverse ELT" will be introduced. Seriously, though, the source and storage areas of this diagram really need to be broken down further to help prevent misinterpretation, and a box needs to be drawn around everything to the right of the source area to delineate what is actually part of the platform. Oh, wait, perhaps I'm oversimplifying: doesn't reverse ETL involve output? :-)

Community Comment: Part 22 The phrase "it depends" still relevantDecisional factors need to be accountedNever bow to unjustified pressureYour clients & customers will thank you

The comments I provided in reaction to a community discussion thread:
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6966251443859132416?commentUrn=urn%3Ali%3Acomment%3A%28activity%3A6966251443859132416%2C6966340024552353792%29

CEO at Consulting Firm:

Software meetings best practices:

❌ Never say: Never.
✅ Always say: It depends.

Gfesser: As a consultant, I used the phrase "it depends" many times with clients. One such occasion I fondly recall involved an initial meeting with a potential client in their expansive corner office overlooking the Chicago River. In the middle of the meeting, I was asked point blank, given a choice of tech stack, what I would recommend using if building out their product. I said, "well, it depends". Their response can be summarized as follows: "Consultants still use that line? Why can't you just answer the question?" I proceeded by explaining some factors that need to be taken into account in order to make that type of decision, factors he wasn't able to address during that meeting. The result? We won the job, and I led architecture and development, writing all of the initial code. The client made their first sales to customers within a year. Never bow to unjustified pressure: your clients and customers will eventually thank you.