When data distribution shifts unexpectedly, it can throw off the assumptions your ML models are trained on. For example, if a new payment processor causes 70% of transactions to fall under $5, a fraud detection model might start flagging legitimate behavior as suspicious. That's why real-time metrics and anomaly detection are so crucial for ML model monitoring within a good data observability framework.

Ideally, data quality monitoring should begin as early as possible in your data journey. As Dan Power shared during Entropy, fixing issues at the source is far more efficient than tracking down errors later. Early adoption of observability tools helps you proactively catch problems, reduce manual fixes, and improve overall data reliability from day one.

If you're just starting out, look for someone with 'Full Data Stack' capabilities, like a Data Analyst with strong SQL and business acumen or a Data Engineer with analytics skills. This person can work closely with other teams to build initial pipelines and help shape your data platform. As your needs evolve, you can grow your team with more specialized roles.

MCP helps LLMs become active participants in data quality monitoring by giving them access to structured resources like schema definitions, data validation rules, and profiling metrics. At Sifflet, we use this to detect anomalies, enforce data contracts, and ensure SLA compliance more effectively.

Absolutely! By clearly mapping upstream and downstream table relationships, SQL Table Tracer helps teams quickly trace issues back to their source. This accelerates root cause analysis and supports faster, more effective incident response workflows in any observability platform.

Preventing bad data starts with proactive data quality monitoring. That includes data profiling, defining clear KPIs, assigning ownership, and using observability tools that provide real-time metrics and alerts. Integrating data lineage tracking also helps you quickly identify where issues originate in your data pipelines.

Great question! As Salma Bakouk shared in our recent webinar, data observability is critical because it builds trust and reliability across your data ecosystem. With poor data quality costing companies an average of $13 million annually, having a strong observability platform helps teams proactively detect issues, ensure data freshness, and align analytics efforts with business goals.

They’ve implemented a full enablement program with starter kits, trainings, and office hours to build data literacy and trust. Observability tools are just one part of the equation; the real focus is on enabling confident, autonomous decision-making across the organization.