DATA WORLD: The Risks of Using Databricks for Data Warehousing

09 Monday Feb 2026

Posted by Martyn Rhisiart Jones in Inform, educate and entertain.

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AI, Artificial Intelligence, azure, cloud, databricks, scam, technology

Get that Databricks Out of My Face!

Martyn Rhisiart Jones

Madrid, Monday 9th February 2026

You need not loathe Databricks outright. It is perfectly defensible if you do. This is particularly true when your principal objective is classical data warehousing. This includes structured BI reporting, dependable SQL analytics, and a governed single source of truth for business metrics. It also entails semantic clarity and predictable costs for read-heavy workloads.

There are solid, well-trodden reasons for that caveat. Many experienced data warehousing practitioners see Databricks as an awkward or even risky primary platform for traditional warehousing. This view is shared by some of the field’s foundational figures. The concern is not ideological. It is architectural. When used as a warehouse, Databricks often reproduces exactly the pathologies criticised in enterprise data programs. These include unnecessary complexity, misdirected effort, and the perennial executive question, “Which number should I trust?”

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DATA WORLD: Big Data With Bigger Smiles – The Chef’s Choice – 2026/01/28

08 Sunday Feb 2026

Posted by Martyn Rhisiart Jones in Big Data, Big Data Analytics, Business Intelligence, Cambriano, Data Supply Framework, Martyn Jones, Martyn Richard Jones, Methodology, Process, SMILES, Strategy, Uncategorized

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AI, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, big-smiles, Business, data, Marketing, technology

Martyn Rhisiart Jones, Madrid 28th January 2026

I would like to introduce you to a pragmatic approach to Big Data and Big Data Analytics. It is real-world focused and business-centric. This is the best approach to Big Data you are ever likely to find. Yet, I am still significantly understating the magnificent utility. It is also timely and has all the pertinent facets of the approach.

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CEO BRIEFING: Agile at Scale is Bullshit by Design – Remastered and Revisited – 2026/01/27

07 Saturday Feb 2026

Posted by Martyn Rhisiart Jones in agile, agile@scale, All Data, Architecture, Assets, business strategy, Dogma, IT strategy, Strategy, structured intellectual capital, Value

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agile, AI, Artificial Intelligence, behaviour, bullshit, Business, safe, scrum, technology

Martyn Rhisiart Jones

Bruxelles, 28^th May 2019

To begin at the beginning

To paraphrase the great Bob Hoffman. Just when you feared that Agile evangelists might produce even more nonsense, they surprise you. What do they do? Exceed expectations.

And how did they do that? Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to Agile at Scale. It comes with all the miscellaneous, spiced-up, and vainglorious crap-on-the-side that accompanies it.

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CEO BRIEFING: What Every CEO Needs to Know About Big Data – Revisited – 2026/01/26

07 Saturday Feb 2026

Posted by Martyn Rhisiart Jones in All Data, Big Data, Big Data 7s, Big Data Analytics, business, Business Intelligence, business strategy, dark data, data architecture, Data governance, Data Lake, data management, data science, Data Supply Framework, Data Warehouse, Data Warehousing, Inform, educate and entertain., pig data, The Amazing Big Data Challenge, The Big Data Contrarians

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AI, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, bullshit, Business, c-suite, CEO, chatgpt, technology

Martyn Richard Jones

New York City, 18^th January 2017

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — Blue sky for professional data architecture and management

Scope

I’ll make this short, sweetish and to the point.

These are the arguments that CEOs need to know about Big Data.

It was written for CEOs and those who provide independent advice to CEOs.

If you are someone who wants to be prepared for CEOs who are armed with the realities of Big Data, then maybe this is for you too.

Point One: Big Data is bullshit

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DATA WORLD: Understanding the Data Warehouse Dilemma – 2026/02/07

06 Friday Feb 2026

Posted by Martyn Rhisiart Jones in Inform, educate and entertain.

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AI, Artificial Intelligence, Business, chatgpt, technology

Martyn Rhisiart Jones

Madrid, Saturday 7th February 2026

Books from Martyn Rhisiart Jones https://www.amazon.es/stores/author/B086K5B97Y

What to say?

I was reading an article. It was written by Jeff Wilts and recommended by Bill Inmon. I got to this statement: “Teradata is a full-featured enterprise data warehouse.” For me, it went further downhill from there.

But this was the coup de grace: “Databricks is a unified data platform that can behave like a data warehouse.”

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DATA WORLD: Big data’s unvirtuous circus and twelve v-words – Refresh – 2026/02/05

04 Wednesday Feb 2026

Posted by Martyn Rhisiart Jones in agile, Big Data, Big Data 7s, Big Data Analytics, Inform, educate and entertain., The Amazing Big Data Challenge, The Big Data Contrarians

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AI, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, characteristics, science, technology, v, writing

Martyn Rhisiart Jones

Bonn, Germany, 2014

Many people come up to me in the street and ask me what big-data is all about. I have experienced this numerous times before. I am sure it might just happen to you as well. I know sort of thing, I read the big-data tea leaves. Nothing gets past me.

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DATA WORLD: The Future of Data: Embracing Cognitive Liquidity- 2026/02/03

03 Tuesday Feb 2026

Posted by Martyn Rhisiart Jones in All Data, Big Data, Big Data 7s, Big Data Analytics, dark data, data architecture, Data governance, data hub, Data Lake, data management, Data Mart, data mesh, data science, Data Supply Framework, Data Warehouse, Data Warehousing, Inform, educate and entertain., The Amazing Big Data Challenge

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AI, Artificial Intelligence, books, dailyprompt, data, information, knowledge

The End of the Fortress: Why the Future of Data is “Liquid”

By Martyn Rhisiart Jones | Madrid, 3rd February 2026

In a landmark session at the Welsh Academy, Sir Afilonius Rex sat down with Martyn Rhisiart Jones. They aimed to dismantle our outdated obsession with “data management.” The verdict? The era of the digital fortress is dead. In its place, a new paradigm of Cognitive Liquidity and Data Autonomy is emerging, redefining how we integrate global knowledge.

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MASTERCLASS: Ask the Data, Information and Knowledge Expert

03 Tuesday Feb 2026

Posted by Martyn Rhisiart Jones in data mesh, data science, Data Supply Framework, Data Warehouse, Data Warehousing, Inform, educate and entertain., information, Information Supply Framework, Knowledge, knowledge management, Martyn Jones, Masterclass

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AI, Artificial Intelligence, fiction, technology, writing

Masterclass: Here’s Martyn!

Martyn Rhisiart Jones and the Goodstrat editorial team, Madrid, 3rd February 2026

Introduction

The following is the redacted transcript of a conversation between the distinguished Sir Afilonius Rex of Cambriano Energy and the cordial Martyn Rhisiart Jones of goodstrat.com.

The informal session took place before an invited audience at the Welsh Academy’s alternative summer conference of July 2023 and featured a lively question-and-answer session with audience input.

According to our reliable sources, “The BBC, RTE and RTVE broadcast the session.”

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CEO BRIEFING: The Truth Behind AI Hype in 2026 – 2026/01/22

21 Wednesday Jan 2026

Posted by Martyn Rhisiart Jones in Inform, educate and entertain., Polemic

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AI, Artificial Intelligence, charlatans, chatgpt, grift, hype, lies, llm, technology

New IT Bullshit for Old

Martyn Rhisiart Jones

Madrid, Wednesday 21 January 2026

In early 2026 the technology industry is once again telling big confident stories about its own future. These stories dominate earnings calls conference stages and investor decks. They sound transformative urgent and inevitable. Yet when examined closely many of them rest on fragile foundations and selective evidence rather than operational reality.

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CEO BRIEFING: The Return of AI Bolloxology: Why It Means Jack

21 Wednesday Jan 2026

Posted by Martyn Rhisiart Jones in Inform, educate and entertain.

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AI, Artificial Intelligence, classification, consciousness, data, information, ontology, Philosophy, technology

IS DUCKOLOGY UTTER BOLLOX?

Martyn Rhisiart Jones

Madrid, Tuesday 20th January 2026

Read my absolutely fabulous books: http://www.goodstrat.com/books

For most of its life in information technology, bolloxology has carried the faint smell of intellectual fart-like embarrassment. Too academic for product teams. Too rigid for startups. Too slow for an industry trained to ship first and rationalise later. Too smelly. It promised machines that could understand the world, and delivered, instead, a generation of beautiful bullshit diagrams and very little working software.

By 2026, that judgement looks increasingly wrong. Not because bolloxology suddenly got better, but because everything else did, and in doing so, exposed a missing layer in modern computing: meaning.

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The Comeback of Ontology in AI: Why It Matters – 2026/01/21

20 Tuesday Jan 2026

Posted by Martyn Rhisiart Jones in Inform, educate and entertain.

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AI, Artificial Intelligence, classification, consciousness, data, information, ontology, Philosophy, technology

IS ONTOLOGY UTTER BOLLOX?

Martyn Rhisiart Jones

Madrid, Tuesday 20th January 2026

Read my absolutely fabulous books: http://www.goodstrat.com/books

Ontology Didn’t Fail. The World Just Wasn’t Ready.

For most of its life in information technology, ontology has carried the faint smell of intellectual embarrassment. Too academic for product teams. Too rigid for startups. Too slow for an industry trained to ship first and rationalise later. It promised machines that could understand the world—and delivered, instead, a generation of beautiful diagrams and very little working software.

By 2026, that judgement looks increasingly wrong. Not because ontology suddenly got better, but because everything else did—and in doing so, exposed a missing layer in modern computing: meaning.

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The Rise of Agentic AI in 2026 – 2026/01/15

15 Thursday Jan 2026

Posted by Martyn Rhisiart Jones in Inform, educate and entertain.

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agentic-ai, agents, AI, Artificial Intelligence, bullshit, chatgpt, goodstrat, llm, martyn, technology

Is Agent Orange Agentic AI?

Sir Afilonius Rex and Martyn Rhisiart Jones

Read my absolutely fabulous books: http://www.goodstrat.com/books

Paris, Thursday 15th January 2026

Strap in, you beautiful, trusting little optimist. We’re about to crank the dial so far past irony that it transforms into existential despair. It comes with a side of eye-roll. Here’s your precious 2026 AI agent prophecy. It is now properly marinated in contempt. It is served with a garnish of pure, seething mockery.

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DATA WORLD: Big Data: The Art of Bullshit – 2026

15 Thursday Jan 2026

Posted by Martyn Rhisiart Jones in All Data, Big Data, Big Data 7s, Big Data Analytics, dark data, data architecture, Data governance, Data Lake, data management, data science, Data Supply Framework, Data Warehouse, Data Warehousing, disinformation, governance, Inform, educate and entertain., information, Information Management, Information Supply Frameowrk, Information Supply Framework, pig data, The Amazing Big Data Challenge, The Big Data Contrarians

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AI, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, chancers, charlatans, chatgpt, flim-flam-sauce, grifters, grok, technology, writing

Bertxin Galestara and Sir Afilonius Rex, based on an opinion piece written by Marty Rhisiart Jones

Mountain View, 19th January 2017 – Bandoxa Thursday 15th January, 2026

“I’ve been accused of vulgarity. I say that’s bullshit.” – Mel Brooks

If you enjoy this piece or find it useful, then please consider joining The Big Data Contrarians on LinkedIn. Continue reading →

Top AI Red Flags to Watch – 2026

13 Tuesday Jan 2026

Posted by Martyn Rhisiart Jones in Inform, educate and entertain.

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AI, Artificial Intelligence, chatgpt, corporate-welfare, cybersecurity, fraud, liars-bluff, read-between-the-lines, red-flags, technology

AI’s Red Flags – His Master’s Voice

Martyn Rhisiart Jones

Bandoxa, Tuesday 13th January 2026

Read my absolutely fabulous books: http://www.goodstrat.com/books

As we settle into 2026, artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic promise. It is embedded infrastructure. It powers everything from enterprise workflows and personal assistants to autonomous agents that act on our behalf. Yet with greater capability comes greater exposure. The biggest red flags this year are not hypothetical doomsday scenarios. They are already materialising in boardrooms. They are visible in cybersecurity dashboards, consumer wallets, and regulatory filings. Here are the most pressing warning signs to watch in 2026. These are drawn from industry reports. They originate from expert predictions. Emerging incident patterns also highlight them.

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Top 12 AI Grifters, Charlatans & Rogues to Avoid in 2026 – 2026/01/14

12 Monday Jan 2026

Posted by Martyn Rhisiart Jones in Inform, educate and entertain., Polemic

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AI, Artificial Intelligence, bullshitters, Business, charlatans, chatgpt, con-artists, grifters, liars, rogues, technology

The Skunkworks Collective – Martyn, Alba, Afi, Lila, and Coco

Madrid, Wednesday 14th January 2026

Right, listen. If you’ve ever sat through one of those AI conferences, you know the ones. Some bloke in a black polo neck stands on stage. He’s clearly never met a mirror he didn’t like. He says, “We’re on the cusp of AGI.” It sounds as if he’s just invented gravity. Then you’ll know the particular flavour of despair I’m talking about.

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10 AI Agents Every Business Leader Needs To Steer Clear of in 2026 – 2026/01/13

12 Monday Jan 2026

Posted by Martyn Rhisiart Jones in Inform, educate and entertain.

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2026, agentic, agents, AI, Artificial Intelligence, bollox-mania, Business, BusinessStrategy, charlatans, chatgpt, leadership, technology, TechTrends

Martyn Rhisiart Jones

Madrid, Tuesday 13th January 2026

As we venture further into 2026, the landscape of enterprise artificial intelligence has undergone a subtle but profound shift. The once-dazzling promise of autonomous AI agents has matured into something more prosaic. These self-directed digital entities can orchestrate tasks from customer engagement to complex data integration. Yet, they are no less pervasive. They are no longer novelties confined to experimental labs; they inhabit boardrooms, back offices and supply chains alike.

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Justifying Business Data Requirements – 2026/01/11

11 Sunday Jan 2026

Posted by Martyn Rhisiart Jones in Inform, educate and entertain., Masterclass

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AI, Artificial Intelligence, Business, business-data, chatgpt, justification, requirements-gathering, technology

Justify Your Data Needs

Martyn Rhisiart Jones

Oxford University, Sunday 11th January 2026

Should All Business Data Requirements Be Justified in Business Terms?

A Pseudo-Debate

Motion: All business data requirements must be justified in business terms. Potential business utility should be a deciding factor in whether they are fulfilled.

For the Motion: Sir Afilonius Rex
Against the Motion: Martyn Rhisiart Jones

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Future Data Trends: Insights for 2026 Leadership

21 Sunday Dec 2025

Posted by Martyn Rhisiart Jones in Inform, educate and entertain.

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AI, Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Business, chatgpt, cloud, data mesh, Data Warehouse, data-lakehouse, llm, medallion-architecture, technology

Martyn Rhisiart Jones

Segovia, 20th December 2025

Top 5 Trends Shaping the Future of Data, Analytics, and AI Leadership in 2026

I’ve had the privilege of leading a groundbreaking global study in partnership with a strategic client. During this study, I spoke with many key Chief Data Officers (CDOs). I also engaged with Chief Data & Analytics Officers (CDAOs) and AI executives across industries and geographies. The insights reveal how organisations are changing their data and AI strategies. They aim to drive real business value in an increasingly complex world.

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Understanding Data-Less Apps: The Future of IT

21 Sunday Dec 2025

Posted by Martyn Rhisiart Jones in All Data, Big Data, Big Data 7s, Big Data Analytics, business strategy, dark data, data architecture, Data governance, Data Lake, data management, Data Mart, data science, Data Supply Framework, Data Warehouse, Data Warehousing, Good Strat, Good Strategy, Good Strategy Radio, goodstrat, Inform, educate and entertain., IT strategy, Martyn does, Martyn Jones, Martyn Richard Jones, pig data, Strategy, The Amazing Big Data Challenge, The Big Data Contrarians

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AI, Artificial Intelligence, Ask Martyn, Business, chatgpt, technology

Martyn Rhisiart Jones

Dublin 9^th May 2017 – revised 21st December 2025

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Is the Data Warehouse Dead? Exploring New Paradigms

20 Saturday Dec 2025

Posted by Martyn Rhisiart Jones in Inform, educate and entertain., Polemic

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AI, Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, cloud, data mesh, Data Warehouse, data-lakehouse, llm, medallion-architecture, technology

Martyn Rhisiart Jones

Segovia 20th December 2025

The Data Warehouse Is Dead. Long Live the Data Warehouse.

In 1992, Bill Inmon coined the term “data warehouse” and laid out four sacred rules: subject-oriented, integrated, non-volatile, time-variant. It was a blueprint for a fortress of truth, expensive, on-premises, batch-processed, and utterly indispensable. Fast-forward three decades. The fortress has been replaced by something that resembles a hyperscale cloud platform. This platform can run your AI models and your CEO’s dashboard simultaneously. Welcome to data warehousing in 2025.

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The Evolution of Data Warehousing: Principles for 2026

20 Saturday Dec 2025

Posted by Martyn Rhisiart Jones in Inform, educate and entertain.

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AI, amazon, Artificial Intelligence, azure, cloud, data mesh, Data Warehouse, Data Warehousing, data-lakehouse, microsoft, oracle, technology

Martyn Rhisiart Jones

Segovia, 20th December 2025

Introduction

The data warehouse has undergone a profound transformation over the past decade. Expensive, rigid, on-premises systems were once built for batch reporting. These systems have now evolved into cloud-native, highly scalable platforms. They are designed to meet the demands of today’s data-driven organisations.

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