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Modernizing databases in practice involves more than just moving data—it requires rethinking how systems, developers, and AI interact. In this episode, Shireesh Thota, Corporate Vice President of Azure Databases at Microsoft, joins Alok Pareek, co-founder and Executive Vice President of Product Development at Striim, to discuss the evolution of operational databases, the rise of real-time data movement, and what it really takes to modernize at scale. Together, they discuss how Microsoft’s Unlimited Database Migration Program, powered by Striim, enables organizations to migrate heterogeneous sources—from SQL Server and Oracle to Postgres and beyond—into Azure with speed and precision, creating a modern data foundation ready for the next generation of intelligent applications. What's New In Data is a data thought leadership series hosted by John Kutay who leads data and products at Striim. What's New In Data hosts industry practitioners to discuss latest trends, common patterns for real world data patterns, and analytics success stories.

What if the fastest route to real AI value isn’t training a new model—but learning how to use the ones we already have, better? We sit down with author and professor John K. Thompson to chart a clear path from AI’s roots to practical wins you can ship this quarter, while keeping an honest eye on what stands between today’s LLMs and true AGI. We start with the origin story—from Turing’s early ideas to the Dartmouth workshop—and show why those founding questions still matter. Then we move into the present: how context windows let you infuse models with your voice, policies, and playbooks without fine‑tuning; why unique information assets are your real moat; and how cross‑functional teams (operators plus technologists) turn prompts into production results. John explains the power of causal AI to answer “what should we do?” and shares concrete examples, from proposal generation that compresses months of work into minutes to manufacturing setups that slash daily waste by two‑thirds. Along the way, we cut through common myths. AGI isn’t arriving next week; we’re missing durable memory, robust causal reasoning, and integrated “composite AI” that blends generative, foundational, and causal methods. GenAI coding is a productivity edge for scaffolding and tests, but complex logic still needs expert hands, strong reviews, and measurable KPIs. For leaders, the blueprint is simple: build around the model first with retrieval, guardrails, and evaluation; organize AI and data science as one team; choose tools that fit practitioners; and measure outcomes relentlessly. If you’re serious about unlocking AI’s upside without getting lost in hype, this conversation offers frameworks you can use today and a realistic map for tomorrow. Enjoy the episode, and if it resonates, follow the show, share it with a colleague, and leave a quick review to help others find it. Follow John K Thompson on LinkedIn What's New In Data is a data thought leadership series hosted by John Kutay who leads data and products at Striim. What's New In Data hosts industry practitioners to discuss latest trends, common patterns for real world data patterns, and analytics success stories.

In this episode of What’s New in Data, we’re joined by Clare Liguori – Senior Principal Engineer at AWS – to dig into the evolving role of retrieval in modern AI systems. Clare unpacks why retrieval shouldn’t just be thought of as a technique to get documents — it’s a strategic tool that can unlock smarter, more adaptive agents. We also explore how AWS is thinking about orchestration, what actually counts as “reasoning,” and why the real power lies in combining structured memory with real-time context. If you’re building with agents, this one’s packed with insight. Show Notes  Get started with Strands AgentsFollow Clare on LinkedInWhat's New In Data is a data thought leadership series hosted by John Kutay who leads data and products at Striim. What's New In Data hosts industry practitioners to discuss latest trends, common patterns for real world data patterns, and analytics success stories.

Jonathan Shough, CIO of Parexel, joins us to talk about leading data modernization in one of the world’s most regulated industries. He shares how compliance can be reframed as an enabler, not a blocker—and why it’s critical to deliver value to patients, not just platforms. We get into Parexel’s pragmatic approach to AI adoption, the role of human interaction in digital transformation, and what it really means to modernize data infrastructure without breaking what works. If you’re balancing transformation with trust—or just trying to give your teams back their Fridays—this one’s for you. What's New In Data is a data thought leadership series hosted by John Kutay who leads data and products at Striim. What's New In Data hosts industry practitioners to discuss latest trends, common patterns for real world data patterns, and analytics success stories.

Joe Reis joins us to reflect on life after Fundamentals of Data Engineering, what makes data content worth consuming, and why good taste matters as much as technical skill. We talk about burnout in big tech, the myth of AI replacing everyone, and how Discord communities, DJ sets, and a sense of humor are helping shape the future of data. This one’s part industry pulse check, part real talk. Follow Joe: LinkedInSubstackDiscordWhat's New In Data is a data thought leadership series hosted by John Kutay who leads data and products at Striim. What's New In Data hosts industry practitioners to discuss latest trends, common patterns for real world data patterns, and analytics success stories.

Barzan Mozafari, CEO of Keebo and former computer science professor, joins us to explore how AI is changing the way data teams work. We talk about the hidden inefficiencies in cloud data platforms like Snowflake and Databricks, how reinforcement learning can automate performance tuning, and why the tradeoff between cost and speed isn’t always what it seems. Barzan also shares thoughts on LLMs, the future of conversational analytics, and what data teams should (and shouldn’t) try to build themselves. Follow Barzan on: Keebo.AILinkedInWhat's New In Data is a data thought leadership series hosted by John Kutay who leads data and products at Striim. What's New In Data hosts industry practitioners to discuss latest trends, common patterns for real world data patterns, and analytics success stories.

What if your data pipeline could run 10x faster without the overhead? Jacopo Tagliabue, CTO of Bauplan and NYU adjunct professor, is pushing the boundaries of data infrastructure with lightweight DAGs, Apache Arrow, and a radically different take on functions as a service. In this episode, he breaks down the tech stack behind Bauplan and why the future of scalable data pipelines is all about speed, modularity, and zero-copy design. Follow Jacopo on:  LinkedInBauplanWhat's New In Data is a data thought leadership series hosted by John Kutay who leads data and products at Striim. What's New In Data hosts industry practitioners to discuss latest trends, common patterns for real world data patterns, and analytics success stories.

Sol Rashidi has built AI, data, and digital strategies inside some of the world’s biggest companies—and she’s seen the same mistakes play out again and again. In this episode, she unpacks why AI initiatives often stall, how executives misread what “transformation” really requires, and why the future of AI success isn’t technical—it’s cultural. If you think AI is just a tech problem, Sol is here to change your mind. Follow Sol's work: LinkedInYour AI Survival Guide by Sol RashidiWhat's New In Data is a data thought leadership series hosted by John Kutay who leads data and products at Striim. What's New In Data hosts industry practitioners to discuss latest trends, common patterns for real world data patterns, and analytics success stories.

Spencer Cook, Lead Solutions Architect at Databricks, joins to unpack how enterprises are moving beyond hype and building practical AI systems using vector search, RAG, and real-time data pipelines. He and John Kutay get into what it really takes to serve production LLMs safely, avoid hallucinations, and tie AI back to business outcomes—without losing sight of governance, latency, or customer experience. Follow Spencer on: LinkedInWhat's New In Data is a data thought leadership series hosted by John Kutay who leads data and products at Striim. What's New In Data hosts industry practitioners to discuss latest trends, common patterns for real world data patterns, and analytics success stories.

Peter Laflin, Chief Data Officer at Morrisons, shares how his team turned customer confusion into a cutting-edge vector search experience—bridging physical retail with AI-powered search. He and John Kutay dive into the practical challenges of implementing LLMs and real-time data pipelines at scale, the importance of starting with actual customer problems, and why the best engineering feels a little lazy (on purpose). A real-world look at what happens when modern search meets supermarket shelves. What's New In Data is a data thought leadership series hosted by John Kutay who leads data and products at Striim. What's New In Data hosts industry practitioners to discuss latest trends, common patterns for real world data patterns, and analytics success stories.

Alok Pareek, Co-founder and EVP of Products at Striim, joins What’s New in Data to dive into the game-changing innovations in Striim’s latest release. We explore how real-time data streaming is transforming analytics, operations, and decision-making across industries. Alok breaks down the challenges of building reliable, low-latency data pipelines and shares how Striim’s newest advancements help businesses process and act on data faster than ever. From cloud adoption to AI-driven insights, we discuss what’s next for streaming-first architectures and why the shift to real-time data is more critical than ever. Learn more about our latest release on Striim's Release Highlight page. What's New In Data is a data thought leadership series hosted by John Kutay who leads data and products at Striim. What's New In Data hosts industry practitioners to discuss latest trends, common patterns for real world data patterns, and analytics success stories.

In this episode of What’s New in Data, AWS VP and Distinguished Engineer Marc Brooker joins us to break down DSQL, Amazon’s latest innovation in serverless, distributed databases. We discuss how DSQL balances consistency, availability, and scalability—without the headaches of traditional relational databases. Tune in to hear how this new approach simplifies architecture, eliminates operational pain points, and sets a new standard for high-performance cloud databases. Follow Marc on X, Bluesky, LinkedIn, or his blog for more insights on distributed systems, databases, and the future of cloud computing. What's New In Data is a data thought leadership series hosted by John Kutay who leads data and products at Striim. What's New In Data hosts industry practitioners to discuss latest trends, common patterns for real world data patterns, and analytics success stories.

Join us for a deep dive into the world of databases with CMU professor Andy Pavlo. We discuss everything from OLTP vs. OLAP, the challenges of distributed databases, and why cloud-native databases require a fundamentally different approach than legacy systems. We discuss modern Vector Databases, RAG, Embeddings, Text to SQL and industry trends. You can follow Andy's work on: Blue Sky Youtube What's New In Data is a data thought leadership series hosted by John Kutay who leads data and products at Striim. What's New In Data hosts industry practitioners to discuss latest trends, common patterns for real world data patterns, and analytics success stories.

Discover how Alex Noonan transitioned from the flight deck of a Marine aircraft to the  world of data engineering. His unique journey, enriched by a some time in the finance industry, gives us a firsthand view of the diverse backgrounds shaping the data industry. As Alex recounts his experiences, we explore the vibrant community he found on data Twitter, a realm buzzing with shared insights and collaborative spirit. However, the landscape shifted following Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter, leading to content fragmentation and a migration towards emerging platforms like Blue Sky. Join us as Alex discusses how these changes have impacted the cohesion and knowledge-sharing dynamics within the data community. Navigate the complex world of professional networking with tips from Alex, as he breaks down the strategic use of platforms like LinkedIn, Reddit, and Hacker News for data professionals. Learn how to creatively tailor your content to fit the quirks of each platform's algorithm, and prepare to engage with varied audiences. The conversation also highlights the transformative potential of AI tools in elevating data processes, reducing mundane tasks, and fostering high-value work. Discover innovations like Dagster and its role as an orchestrator, integrating key business intelligence tools to streamline the data engineer's experience. This episode is a must-listen for anyone intrigued by the evolving interplay of technology, social media, and the power of community. Follow Alex on: Linkedin Twitter BlueskyDagsterWhat's New In Data is a data thought leadership series hosted by John Kutay who leads data and products at Striim. What's New In Data hosts industry practitioners to discuss latest trends, common patterns for real world data patterns, and analytics success stories.

Everett Berry joins the show again to share fresh perspectives on applying data in your sales and go-to-market strategy. We talk about his journey to a key role at Clay, where he leads Go-To-Market Engineering to tackle the complexities of serving and enhancing data for sales. Everett discusses how Clay's tools improve data accuracy and reach, helping businesses streamline revenue operations with smarter data use. In this episode, we also dive into AI's impact on sales operations and revenue processes. Everett and John explore how AI agents and human teams interact, the integration of customer data platforms with CRMs, and the merging of RevOps and data teams. Picture a future where AI autonomously handles data tasks, changing how teams collaborate and redefining organizational roles. For anyone following the fast-paced world of sales tech, this conversation offers a forward-looking view on autonomous data management and its potential to transform business practices. What's New In Data is a data thought leadership series hosted by John Kutay who leads data and products at Striim. What's New In Data hosts industry practitioners to discuss latest trends, common patterns for real world data patterns, and analytics success stories.