Data Digest
Blog
Reinventing the Role of Data Catalogs and Governance in the Era of Agents
When we started Alation in 2012, our mission was clear: to help organizations navigate the complexity of data. At the time, data was exploding in volume, yet there was no easy way for businesses to find, trust, and use it effectively. So, we pioneered the modern data catalog, introducing a solution that empowered data teams and made self-service analytics possible. Since then, a lot has changed.
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Alation’s New Data Products Builder Agent: Build Better Data Products—Faster
As organizations race to leverage data in the age of AI, one thing is clear: the demand for trusted data at the speed of business has never been greater. Business leaders want correct answers fast, and analysts don’t want to muddle through tens of thousands (or even millions!) of existing tables to figure out which are “consumption ready.”
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Shifting Gears: How O’Reilly Auto Parts Modernized its Data Environment with Alation and Snowflake
At Snowflake Summit 2025, Dwayne Foresee, a key leader in the Data Strategy team at O’Reilly Auto Parts, took the stage to share the company’s transformative data journey. Faced with outdated infrastructure and growing business demands, O’Reilly didn’t just migrate to the cloud—it reimagined its data environment. By treating metadata not as a byproduct but as a strategic asset (and by leveraging Alation and Snowflake in tandem), the company laid a foundation of trust, efficiency, and AI readiness.
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8 Popular Data Quality Tools (Compared By Use Case)
Is your data house in order? Today, business leaders know that data powers the decisions that shape business outcomes and drive innovation. However, as the volume of data grows, ensuring its accuracy, consistency, and reliability has become an increasingly urgent challenge. According to , 64% of organizations now say data quality is their top data integrity challenge in 2025, compared to 50% in 2023—a clear indication that this problem is intensifying.
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Inside Boston Children’s Hospital’s AI-Ready Governance Overhaul
Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) is a world-leading pediatric medical center that plays a pivotal role in advancing children’s health globally. As artificial intelligence becomes more deeply embedded in clinical workflows—from diagnostics to predictive care—the value of AI in healthcare has never been higher. But to harness AI’s full potential, organizations must first establish a strong foundation of trusted, well-governed data.
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How to Address Data Quality Challenges in Large-Scale Data Environments
In the modern enterprise, data has become both the foundation and the fuel for innovation. Yet, all too often, organizations treat data as an afterthought. They assume that once it’s collected and stored, it will simply work. The reality is vastly different: undetected entry errors, special characters in free‑text fields, or subtle schema drift can silently corrupt your pipelines. This leads to poor decisions, misaligned strategies, and wasted resources.
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Databricks Data + AI Summit 2025: Key Takeaways
This year at the Databricks Data + AI Summit 2025, the energy was electric. As part of Alation’s team on the show floor, I had the chance to engage with hundreds of data leaders—from curious prospects to seasoned practitioners. Whether demoing at our booth, connecting with partners, or collaborating with American Airlines to prepare their breakout session, one thing was clear: the AI era is officially here—but only for those ready to simplify data complexity.
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What Is the Data Product Lifecycle?
The data product lifecycle follows established product development principles, where teams specify, design, develop, release, update, and maintain products throughout their operational lifespan. Best practices for defining and building data products follow common product development lifecycle models, making the potential applications virtually limitless for organizations ready to embrace this approach.
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What is Metadata Orchestration? The Complete Guide for AI & Data Teams
The metadata management market is exploding. Valued at $11.69 billion and growing at 20.9% annually through 2030, organizations worldwide are recognizing that metadata isn't just documentation—it's the nervous system of modern data architecture. Yet despite massive investments in data catalogs and governance tools, most data teams still struggle with the same fundamental problems: data discovery takes too long, AI projects stall due to data quality issues, and compliance remains a manual nightmare.
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Turn CDE Policy into Practice with Alation + Blue Altair
In the age of AI, one truth has become impossible to ignore: AI is only as trustworthy as the data it’s built on. And not all data is created equal. At the heart of enterprise success with AI, analytics, and compliance lies a subset of data that matters most—Critical Data Elements (CDEs).
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Snowflake Summit 2025: AI, Data Trust, and Metadata in Action
At this year’s Snowflake Summit in San Francisco, thousands of data leaders gathered to explore how AI, cloud innovation, and modern data strategies are reshaping the enterprise. Alation was there, spotlighting real-world stories of data transformation from customers Boston Children’s Hospital, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Swire Coca-Cola, and Fortune Brands Innovations.
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