Category: Platform & Data Engineering

Common Data Challenges & How to Avoid Them

Data Decoded: Calling out some of the traps we see in data programmes. The last blog in my ‘data decoded’ series looks at the common issues we see when data platforms are built and automatic ROI is expected. Familiar Data Platform Challenges & Downfalls Department A builds a platform, Department B builds their own. Two…

The Four Pillars of a Data Platform

Data Decoded: How to go from “we want to be data-driven” to “we are data-driven”. We hate to break it to you, but there isn’t any natural ROI in building a data platform. The ROI happens when decisions get made from that platform. As a data engineer or data platform consultant, you build around four…

Data Decoded 2025: How to Get the Most from Data Consulting

How to see ROI, extract value from a data platform and get more from your data consultancy, as explored by our Principal Engineer Advocate, MLG, at Data Decoded 2025. In today’s world, you don’t run a business unless you make decisions. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in – utilities, transportation, computing, retail – you…

The Role of Databricks Architecture in Data Engineering

Since it was founded in 2013, Databricks has revolutionised enterprise data management and analytics. Built on Delta Lake, an open source storage format, the set of data engineering tools it prides itself on processing enormous amounts of data, then transforming them into datasets that are primed for exploration via machine learning (ML) models. At Oakland,…

What is Data Platform Architecture?

What is Data Platform Architecture? Is your data architecture designed to ensure scalability, reliability, and long-term success? We know that organisations are increasingly investing in data platforms to bring their data together in a world driven by data. And while this enables you to gain the insights you need to make better business decisions based…

Should you Adopt Microsoft Fabric as your Data Platform?

As Microsoft Partners; here at Oakland we’re being asked by more and more clients if Microsoft Fabric could help them to drive better more profitable outcomes from their data? Source: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-fabric Microsoft Fabric has been out on general release for a while now and is increasingly seen as a serious alternative to a bespoke Data…

Should you use Data Lakehouse instead of a Data Warehouse and / or Data Lake? 

Should you use Data Lakehouse instead of a Data Warehouse and / or Data Lake?  Intro When using your Data Platform to improve your Business Intelligence with useful dashboards and reports, you’ll more than likely want to use a Data Warehouse. Add on your data science builds, and storing your raw data cheaply, plus adding…

Should you build or buy your data platform?

“Build Versus Buy” is More a Scale of Options than a Binary Decision As consultants, we’ve been involved in helping our clients to decide which is the best software to invest in (or not invest in some cases). This is quite a responsibility as we are putting our reputation in the hands of a vendor,…

What is the environmental impact of your data?

There is Something Human about Waste Let’s start by setting the scene – an all too familiar one. Humans love waste. We throw away around 100 billion pieces of plastic every year in the UK, and around 1.9 billion tonnes of food that can be eaten is discarded on an annual basis, and even on…

Why Invest in Data Quality?

This can seem like a rhetorical question: you should always invest in Data Quality! But we are still not investing enough: surveys show Data Quality issues are increasing in most organisations and on average, take up 34% of a Data Engineers time instead of them creating value by adding new features. This increases to 50% in large…

How to create a secure Azure Data Platform

There are many methods you can use to secure your data platform and the data contained within it within Azure. The security controls that will be most effective for each data platform differ based on the usage of the platform, the data sources for the platform and many other factors; Having a holistic view of…

Can you really build a cloud data platform in six weeks?

In short: yes, but no, but yes…sort of…it depends. For a better answer, let’s start by describing what we mean by a cloud data platform, as it can mean a few different things. Generally, it refers to a series of different components and resources deployed in the cloud to ingest, store, process, and report upon…