Data Mesh Architecture: Domain-oriented Ownership

A data mesh architecture represents a shift towards domain-oriented ownership, emphasizing decentralized data ecosystems where domains—groups organized around common business purposes—are responsible for their own data production, transformation, and serving processes. This model addresses challenges inherent in centralized data ownership, such as unclear accountability and inefficiencies in deriving business value from data. By granting domains ownership of their data products, it ensures that the most knowledgeable individuals are responsible for data quality and accessibility, thereby reducing the loss of value that occurs when data changes hands. Domains are empowered to determine the technology capabilities needed for their specific data requirements, fostering a more efficient and responsive data infrastructure. This setup allows data engineers and analysts to focus on producing high-quality data products and enhances collaboration across domains, as domains can govern and integrate data products from other domains through defined contracts. Starburst supports this architecture by streamlining data product creation and access with its SQL-based interface, enabling "citizen data engineers" to leverage familiar tools and reducing the complexity of managing multiple data sources.