From Monolith to Contract-Driven Data Mesh

A transition from a traditional, centralized data warehouse to a contract-driven Data Mesh is presented as a practical journey. Data contracts are positioned as the critical enabler for this shift, acting as explicit agreements between data producers and consumers to ensure governance and quality. Using a website analytics example, the content contrasts a monolithic approach with a decentralized Data Mesh model where domains like Marketing own their own data products. The architecture involves creating shared, foundational data products for reuse and consumer-specific data products tailored for particular use cases. This shift moves ownership from a central team to business domains, facilitated by a self-serve platform and federated governance.