Data Mesh in Practice

Part II. The Data Mesh Journey

Understanding ideas of decentralized data ownership sets the foundation for an organization to become truly data-driven. It is as important, however, to understand that performing a change for a bigger, brighter future does not happen in one day. Adapting the ideas of the data mesh paradigm at company scale is a journey that can take months, even years, and can look overwhelming at first. In this part of the report, we want to give you a set of tools to get started and guide you along the journey. As shown in Figure II-1, the data mesh journey is structured in three parts, each of which focuses on what we think is a particularly important aspect of the journey.

Figure II-1. A data mesh journey in three steps

First, we look at how creating an initial mindset shift is key for getting started with the transformation toward a data mesh culture. Second, we explore how powerful self-serve data infrastructure will help you scale the mesh from a few initial teams to large parts of your company. Third, we illustrate how federated governance is applied to sustain the mesh and ensure successful long-term value creation. Once we have concluded our journey, we will take a look at additional examples of common pitfalls and best practices that start to establish across the industry.