The Living Nature of Data: Embracing the Present Moment

The Evolution of Understanding

For millennia, human beings have been on a ceaseless quest for understanding. Our tools for recording knowledge have morphed from cave paintings to scrolls, from notations to audio-visual mediums, and ultimately to digital media. But in every era, much has been lost—data deleted, memories forgotten, and critical moments neglected. Yes, hindsight is a valuable lens, but it’s often tinted with the colors of regret and missed opportunity.

Data: A Living Entity

Contrary to popular belief, data is not merely a historical artifact. Phrases like “the data told us” or “the data showed” anchor it in the past, but data is a living entity. It reacts to the ever-changing landscape of global events and human activities. Data is not just a historical footnote; it’s a living, breathing entity that evolves with the world’s dynamics.

“If you’re depressed, you’re living in the past. If you’re anxious, you’re living in the future. If you’re at peace, you’re living in the present.”
– Lao Tzu, Philosopher, 6th Century BC

By appreciating data’s real-time nature, we elevate our understanding of the world. Live data offers us an “as-it-happens” comfort, allowing us to be agile, take calculated risks, and break down siloed barriers.

Embracing a New Data Paradigm

We’ve reached a tipping point. The world is shifting from a reactive to a proactive stance, aided by advancements like data meshes and live-query analytics. It is time to pivot from just forecasting, to shaping futures. We need complete data, in one place. We still have evidence of silos in our daily lives – something I am often challenged about when I highlight it across the industry or with customers and prospects. If you are in a silo, you probably are totally unaware of it. When we ask for context, that is almost always relating data not immediately available to us – our top salesperson was on sick leave for 2 weeks. Surround yourself in data, in one place, be present.

“When you’re present, you’re open to new ideas and possibilities. You’re also more likely to trust your intuition and go with your gut.”
– Rick Rubin, music industry legend, 9x Grammy awards

The Real Cost of Live Warehouse Analytics: Diving into Snowflake costs

Analyzing data on top of the warehouse has its costs, both in terms of money and computational power. But let’s be real: the cost of not having real-time insights can be far greater. Imagine missing out on market trends or customer behavior shifts because your data was a day late. That’s not just a missed opportunity; it’s a self-inflicted wound.

At Astrato, we’ve cracked the code on this. Our live analytics feature is not just a bell or a whistle; it’s the engine that powers your business decisions.

The percentage of employees actively using BI/analytics tools is currently 25% on average, reflecting minimal growth in the past seven years we’ve been tracking this metric.

Considering as little as 25% are active users, let’s say 200 monthly active users of 800 analytics users registered, the cost of live analytics per user on Snowflake is from as little as $0.21 per user, per month. That’s accounting for 5 minutes of regular daily usage. Analytics viewers are not number crunching like analytics engineers, the cost is substantially lower than the cost of loading, transforming and processing data.

 

The Urgency of Now

Focusing on the past highlights missed chances and evokes regret. But dwelling in the present compels us to action. It’s the bridge between contemplation and execution. Being present compels us to act. It’s where the future is shaped.

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
– Lao Tzu

Taking the Next Thousand Steps with Snowflake and Astrato

If the first step is grounded in the present, then let the next thousand steps be informed by live data. Snowflake’s cloud data platform offers that unified source of truth, serving as the backbone for real-time insights.

But a backbone needs a nervous system to make sense of the world. Enter Astrato, with its live visualizations that not only reflect but also adapt to your data’s real-time movements. Live writeback allows you to synchronize changes directly, while live  leveraged data science capabilities offer in-the-moment analytics using existing Snowpark models, right from your data cloud.

So, as you prepare for the journey ahead, know that each step is not just an act but a calculated stride, powered by the living data coursing through Snowflake and visualized in Astrato. It’s time to eradicate data silos, and elevate decision-making. The best time to act is now, fortified by a single source of truth and the real-time tools to interpret it.