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Data Architecture In Practice.

Articles on enterprise migration, integration assessment, platform selection, and the PRISM methodology. Written from 25 years of real engagements.

AI in Data Architecture15 April 20266 min read

What AI agents actually are and why data architects should care

AI agents are entering enterprise architectures faster than most teams can evaluate them. Here's what they actually are, how they differ from traditional automation, and why data architects need to understand them now.

Data Architecture Methodology14 April 20266 min read

What happens in the first hour of a PRISM assessment

The opening session of a PRISM assessment reveals more about an organisation's data architecture than weeks of documentation reviews. Here's what actually unfolds when you start looking beyond the surface.

Platform Selection13 April 20267 min read

Mid-market data platform selection: PostgreSQL variants versus the rest

Mid-market organisations face a unique data platform challenge: too complex for simple solutions, too constrained for enterprise platforms. Here's how to navigate the PostgreSQL ecosystem and emerging alternatives without overengineering your architecture.

Integration Architecture12 April 20267 min read

Why internal APIs need rate limits before upstream floods hit

Most internal API failures aren't caused by code bugs or infrastructure limits. They're caused by upstream systems that suddenly change their calling patterns and overwhelm APIs that were never designed for the new load.

First-Party Analytics11 April 20267 min read

Safari ITP silently destroys GA4 attribution after 7 days

Safari's Intelligent Tracking Prevention creates a hidden gap in GA4 attribution that most marketers never discover. Here's how it breaks your conversion tracking and what data architects need to know.

Enterprise Migration10 April 20266 min read

The five scoping mistakes that explode migration timelines

Most migration overruns stem from the same fundamental scoping errors. Here's how to avoid the traps that turn six-month projects into eighteen-month ordeals.

Consulting and Client Delivery9 April 20266 min read

Five questions that frame every data architecture assessment

The right intake questions determine whether your architecture assessment delivers actionable insights or generic recommendations. Here's the PRISM approach to framing assessments that actually guide decisions.

AI in Data Architecture8 April 20266 min read

Why metadata tagging is the right problem for AI

Most AI applications in data architecture are solutions looking for problems. Metadata tagging is different. Here's why the problem is perfectly suited to what AI actually does well.

Data Architecture Methodology7 April 20266 min read

Five signals that demand an architecture assessment

Your integration architecture is sending warning signs. Here are the five critical signals that indicate it's time for a formal assessment, and why ignoring them costs more than addressing them.

Data Architecture Methodology6 April 20266 min read

Why your architecture assessment produces different results every time

Most architecture assessments are subjective exercises that depend entirely on who's running them. Here's why that's a problem and what repeatable methodology looks like in practice.

Data Architecture Methodology5 April 20266 min read

The missing dimension in every architecture review I inherit

After inheriting dozens of integration architectures, I have discovered that teams consistently miss one critical dimension that determines whether their solution will scale. Here is what they are overlooking.