— Field notes

Working notes from
the practice.

Architecture decisions, evaluation methodology, things we learned the expensive way. Written by senior architects, for senior architects and the people who hire them.

FEATURED · Architecture · Mar 2026

Lakehouse vs. Warehouse: when each pattern actually pays off

A decade after the lakehouse first showed up in vendor decks, the architectural debate is mostly settled — but the engagement-level decision still isn't. A practical guide to picking the pattern your business will actually use.

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Tooling

Microsoft Fabric vs. Databricks: a senior architect's field notes

Both can be the right answer. Neither is the right answer everywhere. Where each platform earns its keep across DACH enterprise engagements, and the questions to ask before you commit.

Feb 2026
AI

Why most enterprise RAG projects fail — and what to instrument instead

It is easy to ship a working demo. It is hard to ship a system that stays correct as your knowledge base evolves. The four metrics every production RAG system needs from day one.

Feb 2026
Strategy

Modernizing SAP analytics in the Microsoft Fabric era

You don't have to rip out SAP BW to get to Fabric. A migration path that respects existing investments, brings new capabilities online incrementally, and keeps the close cycle running.

Jan 2026
Analytics

The KPI tree that actually works in the boardroom

Most KPI frameworks are too long, too flat or both. A simple structure — three layers, financial outcome at the top — that survives the C-suite and the front line.

Jan 2026
Governance

Master data governance in pharma supply chains: lessons from the field

Audit findings on master-data drift are not solved by another policy document. They are solved by plumbing governance into the platform. A walk-through of what worked.

Dec 2025
Engineering

Streaming IoT analytics without breaking the cost model

Real-time architectures that scale linearly with event volume bankrupt their owners. The patterns we use to keep latency low and the bill predictable.

Dec 2025
Strategy

Centralized, federated, hub-and-spoke: how to actually choose

The org-design question never has a single right answer — but the wrong one is expensive. A framework for matching data team structure to organizational reality.

Nov 2025
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