Data Mesh: The Answer to the Data Warehouse Hypocrisy

The article critiques the conventional data warehouse model for its inherent coordination bottlenecks, despite its foundation on scalable parallel database systems, and introduces the concept of a "data mesh" as a solution. The data mesh allows teams to work independently on specific datasets, mirroring the parallel processing of computers, thereby reducing the need for coordination and enhancing scalability. While it decentralizes data management and empowers teams to take full ownership of their datasets, it also risks creating data silos due to diverse team preferences for data tools and storage formats. The article emphasizes the importance of systems like Presto, Trino, and Starburst, which can query diverse data sources independently of storage, to overcome these silos and facilitate the implementation of a data mesh. The author argues that with advancements in data management technology, the rationale for maintaining centralized data warehouses is diminishing, making the data mesh a more viable and modern approach to data management.