Agenda
With over 30 sessions, here's what we featured at MDSCon 2023
Day 1 | April 4, 2023
9:00 AM - 9:45 AM
Evolution or revolution: Tech leaders on the future of the data stack
George Fraser, CEO & Co-Founder, Fivetran
Tristan Handy, CEO & Founder, dbt labs
Matei Zaharia, Co-founder & Chief Technologist, Databricks
Jennifer Li, Enterprise Investment Partner, a16z
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to hear directly from some of the most innovative minds in the data management space as they discuss the future of analytics and data-driven technologies. Learn from their experiences and strategies as they explore the future of data management in the age of automation and AI.
9:50 AM - 10:40 AM
Partner Keynote
Torsten Grabs, Head of Product Management for Data Platform, Snowflake
Jason Pohl, Sr. Director of Data Management, Databricks
Amy Deora, VP, Partnerships and Alliances, dbt Labs
Trenton Huey, Senior Director, Data, Vida
Hear from our Diamond Sponsors as they share key problems they have solved recently, new use cases that have popped up in the industry, and other innovations they have been a part of.
10:45 AM - 11:30 AM
Keynote with DJ Patil
DJ Patil, Technology Speaker, U.S. Chief Data Scientist 2015–2017
Explore the topic of “what is data science?” and hear first-hand how data science shapes the decisions made in the country today.
11:45 AM - 12:05 PM
Lightning talks + Sponsor sessions
11:45 AM - 12:05 PM
Unlock the power of usage monitoring in the data era with Fivetran and Sigma [Sponsored by Sigma]
Mike Gerardi, VP of Sales, SMB, Sigma Computing
Mark Sussman, Director of Data & Analytics, Strategus
In the era of efficient growth, usage monitoring will be a trend throughout the data space. With the introduction of Fivetran’s Quickstart Data Models for the Log Connector, you can now leverage Sigma’s out-of-the-box template for usage monitoring, performance monitoring, and advanced alerting related to your Fivetran implementation. In this session Sigma will walk you through:
- How to set up Fivetran + Snowflake monitoring in a matter of minutes
- Granting access to key stakeholders
- Staying on top of spend with advanced alerting and performing root cause analysis on one dashboard
11:45 AM - 12:05 PM
Next-gen data tools: Applications to unlock ROI from data
Ryan Boyd, Co-founder, Motherduck
Gabi Steele, Co-Founder & CEO, Preql
Chetan Sharma, Founder and CEO, Eppo
The modern data stack has been long known by its parts: automated data movement, data governance, BI, reverse ETL, AI/ML and more. But as the stack has matured, more have joined in. At this session, hear from leaders at hot startup companies as they offer quick-fire takes on how they are changing the face of the modern data stack even further.
11:45 AM - 12:30 PM
Breakout Sessions
11:45 AM - 12:30 PM
Future-state planning with your modern data stack
Nana Yaw Essuman, Senior Director, Data Engineering, Conde Nast
Mark Kidwell, Chief Data Architect, Data Platforms and Services, Autodesk
Eric Tan, CIO, Coupa
Olivia Nix, Director of Core Product Marketing, Fivetran
Aarthi Sridharan, VP, Business Intelligence, Beachbody
For teams with robust, fully built-out modern data stacks, what’s next? In this session, we’ll hear from leaders who have built and scaled their stacks and are now tackling next-gen tasks. From ML operations to instant movement of massive amounts of data around the world, we’ll learn how folks with mature data stacks are pushing the boundaries of what their companies and teams can do with data.
11:45 PM - 12:30 PM
Knitting your own data fabric: Real possibility or impossible fantasy?
Meera Viswanathan, Lead Product Manager, Fivetran
Samiksha Gour, Senior Data Engineering Manager, Momentive
Dan Montgomery, Director of Data Engineering, SunPower
Sharad Mathur, Global Head of Data & Analytics
Piyush Bhargava, Sr. Director, Data Architecture & Engineering, DocusSign
One of the hottest topics in the data space is “data fabric,” but what is it — and what makes it different from “data mesh” or any other buzz term? Is it actually achievable? What does it mean for data governance? In this session, you’ll get an honest take on this term, including what it promises to deliver and whether the promises can be kept.
11:45 AM - 12:30 PM
Modern data stack mentor
Stop in and talk with MDS experts on topics including data movement, transformation, governance, security and ecosystem integration. We can help you troubleshoot issues, ask for advice or just discuss trends with our team of experts.
12:10 PM - 12:30 PM
Lightning talks + Sponsor sessions
12:10 PM - 12:30 PM
Spilling the tea in ELT
Kelly Kohlleffel, Head of Partner Sales Engineering, Fivetran
Sam Hall, Solutions Architect, phData
Troy Fokken, Field CTO, Data Engineering, phData
Pete Soderling, Founder, Data Council
At this session, we’ll cover the top trends in ELT and the modern data stack. We’ll have honest takes on the latest fundings, mergers and acquisitions — and just all around have a healthy, engrossing debate on the latest news hitting the MDS community from key figures within it.
12:10 PM - 12:30 PM
Next top security model
Amy Peterson, Senior Group Product Manager, Enterprises and Databases, Fivetran
Tom Conklin, Chief Information Security Officer, Fivetran
Your data is yours to protect. Whether you’re moving into the cloud or built there to start, you'll need to ensure your cloud infrastructure is secure and compliant. Learn from Fivetran's security team about best practices for cloud SaaS security for every use case from multi-cloud to PCI compliance.
12:10 PM - 12:30 PM
Navigating Data Transformation: Lessons from Microsoft’s Four Year Journey
Erik Zwiefel, Chief Data & Analytics Officer for Americas, Microsoft
Data transformation is a key driver of digital innovation and business value in today’s world. However, many organizations face challenges in implementing data transformation initiatives successfully. How can they balance the need for responsible data governance with the demand for data democratization? How can they leverage data as a strategic asset to drive customer satisfaction, revenue growth, and operational efficiency?
In this session, Erik Zwiefel will share the lessons that Microsoft learned during their own journey of transforming their data landscape with a modern data platform approach. Join this session to explore:
- Lessons from Microsoft’s data transformation journey – including the fact that it’s mostly a cultural problem and not a technical one
- Strategies to overcome arguments over data ownership and start to deliver value for the organization
- How Microsoft reduced data infrastructure spend by $20+ million per year and data copies by 60%
1:30 PM - 1:50 PM
Lightning talks + Sponsor sessions
1:30 PM - 1:50 PM
Building data governance into the foundation of your enterprise business: A fireside chat
Mark Van De Wiel, Field CTO, Fivetran
Shinji Kim, Founder & CEO, Select Star
Veronica Zhai, Director, Analytics Technical Product Management, Fivetran
Enterprise data management is so much more than just the adoption of new tools - it is about realizing the full potential of people, systems, and data. Doing so at a larger enterprise is no easy feat, but can pay dividends. At this fireside chat, practitioners can learn how large enterprises approach data governance.
1:30 PM - 1:50 PM
Delivering a seamless customer experience with real-time predictive modeling powered by Coalesce, Snowflake and Fivetran [Sponsored by Coalesce]
Austin Banta, Sales Director, Coalesce
Jesse Marshall, Director of Data Science, Paytronix
Join Jesse Marshall, Director of Data Science at Paytronix, to learn how the customer experience platform boosts customer loyalty with real-time predictive modeling using Snowflake and Coalesce. Multiple data sources and a patchwork of tools had created too many data silos at Paytronix, making it difficult to build data pipelines quickly and easily, and impossible to experiment with data science initiatives. Snowflake, Fivetran, and Coalesce have enabled Paytronix to build its first near-real time predictive analytics models to supercharge their customers’ campaigns.
1:30 PM - 1:50 PM
Getting real about real-time data
Joseph deBuzna, VP, Product Management, Fivetran
Philip Howard, Data Applications Director, Data Insights, 2nd Watch
Real time means a lot of things to different businesses. At this session, join the conversation about the reality of real-time data including how to define it, how to accomplish it and what it can do for your business — including a hearty debate on whether the cost of real-time data is worth the impact on your business.
1:30 PM - 2:20 PM
Breakout Sessions
1:30 PM - 2:20 PM
Keeping up with the modern data stack
Nikolay Voronchikhin, Analytics Engineer, Cisco
Utsav Kaushish, VP of Analytics, User Interviews
Tameem Iftikhar, Chief Technology Officer, Flywheel Software
Leah Weiss, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Preql
Natalie Waller, Senior Product Marketing Manager, Fivetran
It feels like every month there’s a new tool, system or program that is going to transform the way we use data. Keeping up with all these trends and changes feels overwhelming — and how can one separate the real innovations from the overpromising, far-too-niche players? At this session, we’ll have a healthy debate about all the changes to the MDS of late, the latest MDS tools and trends, and the best ways to keep up with the changes.
1:30 PM - 2:20 PM
From legacy to latest & greatest
Bill Murphy, Managing Partner, Cresting Wave
Ashley Van Name, Senior Manager of Data Engineering, JetBlue
Brian Pederson, Data Product Manager, JetBlue
Moving from an older, legacy stack to a modern one isn’t something that happens overnight - and bringing your internal stakeholders as well as your team along is often one of the trickiest parts of this transition. At this session, we’ll talk with folks who are making the transition from legacy systems to the latest and greatest modern data stacks. They’ll offer advice for how they got started, what their biggest hurdles were and what they wish they had known at the start. And, we’ll dig into not just the technical challenges with transitioning but the cultural and mindshift changes needed to bring everyone along.
1:30 PM - 2:20 PM
Modern data stack mentor
Stop in and talk with MDS experts on topics including data movement, transformation, governance, security and ecosystem integration. We can help you troubleshoot issues, ask for advice or just discuss trends with our team of experts.
2:00 PM - 2:20 PM
Lightning talks + Sponsor sessions
2:00 PM - 2:20 PM
Connecting on connectors
Alison Kline, Lead Product Manager, Fivetran
Olivia Nix, Director of Core Product Marketing, Fivetran
Cloud functions, file connectors and now Lite connectors. Sit with our Product team as they walk you through the different connectors, how they work and how you can automate any data source you need. Plus, give feedback on the connectors themselves in this conversational connector-centric session.
2:00 PM - 2:20 PM
Orchestration education station
Sarah Krasnik, Growth Lead, Prefect
Just like an orchestra is coordinated by a conductor, a data team needs a centralized viewpoint of all the tools, workflows, and interactions that make up a data stack. In this session, we'll define orchestration by what it enables for a data team while walking through the steps to easily coordinate workflows in a way that is both scalable and versatile.
2:00 PM - 2:20 PM
Centralized integrations for centralized data [Sponsored by Hightouch]
Josiah Brann, Director of Engineering, Discovery Education
Erik Edelmann, Staff Data Engineer, Hightouch
Today’s businesses depend on dozens or even hundreds of SaaS products to operate every day. This has resulted in a proliferation of data integration tools and platforms (yet more SaaS) to help teams maintain consistency in their data across their business. Countless direct integrations, point-to-point iPaaS products, and other solutions have been developed to help different systems talk to each other.
At the same time, in the data and analytics space, teams have converged on modern cloud data warehouses, using them as the central hub and beating heart of their operations.
In this talk, Josiah will tell the story of how Discovery Education has been able to properly leverage the data warehouse to serve as a central hub for their data and the actions they take based on their data. They will outline a more “warehouse-centric” approach to data pipelines and integrations, exploring the advantages found through this approach, and featuring real-world examples.
2:30 PM - 3:20 PM
Breakout Sessions
2:30 PM - 3:20 PM
Scaling your data team’s impact without scaling costs
Maura Church, Data Science and Engineering Leader
Saumya Bhatnagar, CPO & Co-Founder, involve.ai
Pardhu Gunnam, CEO, Metaphor Data
Veronica Zhai, Director, Analytics Technical Product Management, Fivetran
Once you’ve proven the power of data and your data team at your company, the next question is, “How can I get more?” But that request doesn’t always lead to more resources — especially at early-stage companies. In this session, you’ll hear from data professionals who have learned to do more with less; specifically, we’ll focus on how teams can move from request backlogs to proactive data teams. You’ll learn what they wish they had done differently as they scaled, and which tools, programs and resources they relied on.
2:30 PM - 3:20 PM
Be a data model: your guide to dbt™ best practices
Emily Hawkins, Data Engineering Manager, GlossGenius
Alex Hauer, Lead Product Marketing Manager, Transformations, Fivetran
Joe Markiewicz, Senior Manager, Solution Analytics, Fivetran
Jake Hannan, Data Platform Manager, Sigma
Harsh Jetly, Senior Solutions Architect, dbt Labs
dbt continues to gain traction and popularity, and for good reason. At this session, we’ll bring together dbt power users to hear how and why they got into dbt, as well as some of their best practices for getting started and ramping up. Whether you are a dbt pro or just dipping your toes in, this session will ensure that you’re set up for success and using best practices moving forward.
2:30 PM - 3:20 PM
Modern data stack mentor
2:30 PM - 2:50 PM
Lightning talks + Sponsor sessions
2:30 PM - 2:50 PM
Choose your own database replication adventure
Kevin Kim, Senior Product Manager, Fivetran
Divyansh Saini, Co-founder & CEO, Houseware
Chris Puuri, Director of Data Engineering, Hakkoda
Learn how replication methods have changed to evolve with data warehouse advancements and best practices for replicating data to the cloud, especially for high volume data. We’ll walk through the different replication techniques, when teams use them and why, and how to identify when you might need to change your replication strategy.
2:30 PM - 2:50 PM
Data sharing is data caring
Jimmy Hooker, Lead Product Manager, PBF & Developer Experience, Fivetran
Beyond the value of your data, what is it worth? Data products represent net new revenue with hardly any incremental costs. In this session, hear from experts on the new trend of “data sharing,” debate what it means and how teams are taking steps towards making this new trend a reality.
2:30 PM - 2:50 PM
Look before you leap: Avoid clogged pipelines with data intelligence [Sponsored by Alation]
Mitesh Shah, VP of Product Marketing, Alation
As more types of data users flock to pipelines to get the data they need, how can leaders help them look before they leap? By investing in data intelligence and helping everyone ask (and answer) good questions. Do I have the right datasets? What data in that set is prime for the pipeline? Who can I team up with to speed up data movement? Who benefits, and how?
Join Alation to learn:
- How data intelligence helps your pipelines get the right data to the right person
- Why a data catalog is key to your data pipeline strategy
- How Alation and Fivetran work together to deliver full source-to-destination data intelligence
Join us for a great discussion!
3:00 PM - 3:20 PM
Lightning talks + Sponsor sessions
3:00 PM - 3:20 PM
Access granted! Active metadata unlocks governed data discovery
Austin Kronz, Director of Data Strategy, Atlan
Getting more of your teams access to trusted data without creating bottlenecks or compromising on compliance — think Marketing, Sales and Finance — is the promise of data democratization. We’ll break down challenges with data democratization, discuss how active metadata is critical in achieving this vision, and the benefits it is already having on their bottom line.
3:00 PM - 3:20 PM
How Backcountry drives data observability at scale with Fivetran and Monte Carlo [Sponsored by Monte Carlo]
Prasad Govekar, Director of Data Engineering, Data Science, and Analytics, Backcountry
Molly Vorwerck, Head of Content & Communications, Monte Carlo
Backcountry, a leading outdoor apparel retailer, leverages data insights to inform its decision-making and improve the digital experience within its marketplace. To ensure the reliability of the data ingested and transformed through its BigQuery, Fivetran, and Looker data platform, Prasad Govekar, Director of Data Engineering, Data Science, and Analytics, implemented data observability. This enabled Prasad to monitor and detect data quality issues at scale and establish robust processes and workflows for root cause analysis and incident management. In this fireside chat, Prasad will explore Backcountry’s decision to invest in data observability, the impact it has had on reducing the time to detect and resolve critical incidents, and their plans for future data reliability strategies.
3:30 PM - 3:50 PM
Building the standard for modern data movement
Fraser Harris, VP of Product, Fivetran
Following a day packed with all things data fabric, transformations and next-gen use cases, learn about the future of Fivetran and how it fits into the broader picture. Join Fivetran VP of Product Fraser Harris as he walks us through how Fivetran as a platform will keep up with the needs of data teams and respond to the demands of the data industry. He’ll also discuss the Fivetran product philosophy and how we’re changing what it means to move data.
4:00 PM - 4:30 PM
The modern data stack is dead, long live the modern data stack!
Barr Moses, CEO & Co-Founder, Monte Carlo
George Fraser, CEO & Co-Founder, Fivetran
Sarah Catanzaro, General Partner, Amplify Partners
Benn Stancil, Chief Analytics Officer, Mode
Kevin Petrie, Vice President of Research, Eckerson Group
The modern data stack (MDS) as a concept hasn’t been around that long, but folks across Twitter and LinkedIn have already started calling it a thing of the past. We’ll close out our day by debating the elephant in the room: What is the modern data stack, really? Is it just a set of tools? An approach to data? Do we need a new phrase? Should we lean into the concept even more — or retire it altogether? Join us for a spirited debate.
4:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Welcome Reception
Join us to celebrate closing out day one with food, drinks and enticing activations - you won’t want to miss it!
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
The future of the supply chain: How the Modern Data Stack is transforming logistics
Sanjeev Mohan, Principal Analyst, SanjMo
Himali Varshney Kumar, Director, IT Data Management, AutoZone
Saurabh Parikh, Chief Data & Innovation Officer, CONA (Coke One North America) Services
The pace of innovation continues unabated — especially across the global supply chain, where logistics challenges have made data and a data-driven mindset critical to ensuring the efficient flow of goods around the world. In this session, you’ll hear from leaders across manufacturing, retail, transportation and logistics about how the intersection of shrewd business leadership and a modern data stack will drive massive innovation amidst a turbulent market.
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Hands-on Labs
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Using no-code and custom pipelines together with Prefect
Dylan Hughes, Engineering Manager, Prefect
In the history of data engineering, there have always been two dichotomous approaches: write custom code (typically in Python) or use a no-or low-code tool such as Fivetran. These worlds are now merging and for good reason. Data teams have massive scope and responsibilities today, and they want to focus their limited resources on the most critical problems that require human ingenuity — and frankly are a lot more fun. Join this session to learn why companies today are outsourcing connections and dataflows to vendors like Fivetran to manage the hundreds of API endpoints while maintaining control and viability with a tool like Prefect.
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Accelerate your time to insight with Fivetran Transformations for dbt Core
Alex Hauer, Lead Product Marketing Manager, Transformations, Fivetran
Jack Lowery, Solution Architect, Fivetran
Fivetran integrates with dbt Core to power our transformations in your preferred cloud destination. dbt Core, by dbt Labs, is an open-source transformation tool that enables you to perform sophisticated data transformations in your destination using simple SQL statements.
During our hands-on lab, we’ll walk you through setting up transformations and show you how to:
- Integrate dbt Core with Fivetran
- Use version control and other advanced features with your transformations
- Run your first job using Fivetran pre-built data models to model your data
In order to participate in this lab, you must have a Fivetran account and complete prework (which will be sent to you when you register). Sign up for a 14-day free trial here. Please note: pre-work may take up to 2 hours to complete, so plan accordingly. Requirements and details will be shared ahead of time.
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Modern analytics on the lakehouse using Databricks SQL [Sponsored by Databricks]
Roberto Salcido, Senior Solutions Architect, Databricks
Ameek Singh, Senior Solutions Engineer, Databricks
The Databricks Lakehouse Platform simplifies your modern data stack by unifying all your data so you can do data warehousing, SQL, BI, and AI. This common approach to data management, coupled with Fivetran’s accelerated data movement solution on the lakehouse, helps you operate more efficiently and get to insights faster. Join us for a live, hands-on workshop to learn how to use the Databricks and Fivetran for all your modern analytics needs, and more.
You’ll see how easily you can operate a modern data stack using Databricks SQL. Databricks SQL delivers data warehouse performance at data lake economics - with up to 12x better price/performance than traditional cloud data warehouses. We’ll also show how to reduce costs and get started in seconds with our new SQL serverless compute.
You’ll learn how to:
- Load data into Delta Lake on Databricks using Fivetran
- Build fast, continuous delivery data pipelines for both BI and ML
- Analyze your results using SQL queries on the data lake
Get fine-grained governance on your data with Unity Catalog.