Metadata Management/Data Catalog Software Architect | Business Analyst | BI and Data Warehousing Applications Developer
What attracted you to data management or IT, and why did you choose to pursue this career?
I have been passionate about computers since my first Atari 65XE in the 80s. It was mind-blowing that I, as a kid, could control and command a machine, and it did some amazing things. Initially it was just playing with colors. But believe me – in the 80s it was really impressive.
Interest in data came later, in early 2000s. I discovered data warehousing, analytics and BI. It was amazing that with a simple SQL script I was able to turn meaningless table rows into information and even knowledge. I was able to point to some major inefficiencies in a large manufacturing enterprise. It was like being a wizard.
Then I became interested in metadata, because I quickly learned that a wizard needs a book with his spells. So, we started writing one for ourselves in 2013.
What has been your greatest career accomplishment so far, and why has it been important to your career?
I have had multiple, and quite different, roles in my career. I started as a software developer, then moved into Data Warehousing/BI as an architect/analyst. I built with my former partner a small consulting business where I was busy working with clients as business analyst and project manager. Finally, within that consulting business, I designed (joint effort) a metadata management software, that I rolled it out to market (as head of marketing), and then built a company around it (as CEO). And that is what I consider my biggest accomplishment – being able to get Dataedo (our product) where it is today, used by 900+ organizations worldwide, getting great feedback and reviews, and growing rapidly.
What are the two or three biggest challenges you face as a data management professional / CDO and how can we address them?
As a CEO of a metadata management software company, I do not face data management challenges directly. But I hear a lot from our customers and prospects. I can try and list a few that seem to be challenging to organizations we talk to:
- The amount of work that needs to be done to document data,
- Tracking that work – what still needs to be done,
- Changing organization culture and the way people think about data.
How do you see data management / the role of the CDO / IT changing in the next 2 – 3 years?
I see the growth of the democratization of data and adoption of data catalogs and self-service BI tools. Organizations want to empower their employees to be more self-reliant with the data. Employees, including non-technical ones, want to make decisions based on data. I also think there will be an accelerating movement to the cloud and use of data beyond BI – data science, advanced analytics, and machine learning.
Do you have any planned next steps for your career?
As a CEO of a tech startup, I plan to hire people that could take ownership of various areas of the business and focus on higher level product vision and share more of my thoughts with articles and cartoons (that I currently share and are quite popular on LinkedIn).
What is the single best piece of advice you have received in your data management / IT career so far? Why has it been so important to you?
The simpler the solution the better.
Can you share something about yourself as a person that people wouldn’t know about you?
I have three cats and like sports some call “extreme”.
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