Data Therapy in the Age of Relentless Innovation and AI
In this episode of The Data T podcast, Armon Petrossian and Satish Jayanthi talk with Nicho Mann, founder and CEO of Stratos Consulting, about the emotional and operational challenges facing data professionals today. Nicho introduces the idea of “data therapy” — a way to talk about the mounting pressure, backlog, and burnout that teams are experiencing as AI hype accelerates. With firsthand stories from the biotech and pharmaceutical space, he explains how many companies are overwhelmed, under-resourced, and unsure how to move forward. The conversation digs into how to focus on what matters, where AI is genuinely helping, and why a more agile, empathetic approach to data work is urgently needed. Main topics: “Data therapy” concept AI: hype and expectations vs. reality Overwhelmed data teams Executive pressure to innovate Automating manual, repetitive tasks Optimizing data frameworks for AI The importance of subject matter expertise How to stay grounded in fast change Resources: About Stratos Consulting: https://stratosconsulting.com/ About Coalesce: https://coalesce.io/about/ The Data T archive: https://coalesce.io/podcast/
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AI-Driven Data Catalogs
Fresh off the announcement of Coalesce acquiring AI-driven data catalog company CastorDoc, now Coalesce Catalog, co-founders Tristan Mayer and Xavier de Boisredon join the Data T podcast to talk about how it all came together, why his marks a major shift in the industry, how the Modern Data Stack is evolving, and what’s next.The conversation highlights both companies’ shared vision of making data governance simpler, more intuitive, and embedded early in the data lifecycle. The founders break down three categories of AI applications in data—AI-assisted governance, metadata-driven analytics, and enterprise AI use cases—and stress how strong data foundations are essential to enable all of them. Watch the full episode to learn more about the challenges of making data governance accessible and actionable to a broad range of data users, how organizations can solve those challenges by shifting governance left, and more.Key TopicsCastorDoc’s founding storyShifting data governance leftExploring AI use cases in data governance and data catalogsBuilding trust through data strategyThe democratization of data skills and insightsResources➡️ About Coalesce: https://coalesce.io/➡️ Practical Data Modeling Substack: https://practicaldatamodeling.substac...➡️ Coalesce podcast archive: https://coalesce.io/podcast/
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Data Hot Takes with Joe Reis
In this episode of The Data T, Joe Reis returns to discuss his journey since his last appearance on our podcast. We chat about the lasting impact of his book, Fundamentals of Data Engineering, and his latest focus on data modeling. Data modeling is the focus of Joe’s upcoming book, Practical Data Modeling, which he is writing publicly on his Substack.We also explore broader industry trends, including the hype around AI, the resurgence of data governance, and shifting perspectives on data modeling methodologies. Tune in to hear Joe’s candid takes on the impact of AI-generated code, the new “vibe coding” trend, and the importance of strong communities—both online and in-person—in reshaping professional networking in the data industry.Key TopicsThe resurgence of data modelingAI hype vs. realityData governance comebackCommunity-driven learningThe shift toward practical data frameworksResources➡️ About Coalesce: https://coalesce.io/ ➡️ Practical Data Modeling Substack: https://practicaldatamodeling.substac... ➡️ Coalesce podcast archive: https://coalesce.io/podcast/
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2025 Data Predictions with Tejas Manohar
Welcome to the Data T! In our first podcast episode for 2025, hosts Armon Petrossian and Satish Jayanthi chat with Tejas Manohar, co-CEO and co-founder of Hightouch, about his predictions for the year ahead. The conversation covers the top trends in generative AI, customer engagement, and data infrastructure, with a deep dive into AI Decisioning, the latest innovation from Hightouch that uses continuous experimentation and reinforcement learning to optimize marketing strategies. Manohar provides insights into how organizations can better leverage their data platforms to activate data for marketing and operations, discusses the challenges in implementing Large Language Models (LLMs), the importance of foundational infrastructure for all AI initiatives, the emerging popularity of open-source table formats like Apache Iceberg, and more.Key topics include:Data predictions for 2025AI Decisioning from HightouchPractical use cases for leveraging LLMsGenerative AI: hype vs realityData infrastructure trends and innovations for 2025The future of AI in marketing Watch the video recording of this episode here.Resources:The Top Data Trends for 2025Learn more about CoalesceLearn more about HightouchConnect with the speakers:Tejas ManoharArmon PetrossianSatish Jayanthi
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SAP Migrations with David Richert and Edwin Commandeur
In the final episode of Coffee with Coalesce for 2024, we travel to Europe to chat with David Richert, SAP Modernization Evangelist and Principal Sales Engineer at Snowflake, and Edwin Commandeur, Principal Field Product Manager (SAP) at Fivetran, about the challenges and innovations in data management and migration, particularly in the context of SAP systems.Hosted by Damien Walker and Glen Dawson, the conversation explores the benefits of shifting from application-centric to data-centric approaches to data management and highlights strategies for overcoming technical and organizational barriers in SAP migrations.Key topics include:Transitioning from application-centric to data-centric models: The shift to modern data platforms like Snowflake highlights the need to rethink data architectures.End-to-end data integration: The challenges in unifying SAP and non-SAP data underscores the importance of platforms like Fivetran in data modernization initiatives.Navigating SAP end-of-life decisions: Key considerations for organizations that face critical decisions as they approach end-of-life deadlines for certain SAP platforms.SAP migrations and cloud adoption: The benefits of moving SAP systems to the cloud and recommendations for addressing the challenges of legacy systems with modern, scalable solutions.Watch the video recording of this podcast episode here.Resources:Power SAP data transformations at scaleDemo: Integrating SAP Data Into SnowflakeWith Fivetran, Coalesce and phDataCoalesceSnowflakeFivetranConnect with the speakers:David RichertEdwin CommandeurDamien WalkerGlen Dawson
Previously known as Coffee with Coalesce, The Data T is a monthly podcast hosted by Armon Petrossian and Satish Jayanthi, co-founders of Coalesce, the data transformation company. Each month, we invite industry experts, entrepreneurs, and executives to spill the tea on the data industry's hottest topics: from data modeling and data ops to AI and LLMs, data engineering trends and predictions, datapreneurship, and more.
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