Great question! In static mode, Sifflet checks whether data has arrived during a specific time slot and alerts you if it hasn’t. In dynamic mode, our system learns your data arrival patterns over time and only sends alerts when something truly unexpected happens. This helps reduce alert fatigue while maintaining high standards for data quality monitoring.

MCP enables LLMs to access structured context like schema changes, validation rules, and logs, making it easier to detect and explain data quality issues. With tool calls and memory, agents can continuously monitor pipelines and proactively alert teams when data quality deteriorates. This supports better SLA compliance and more reliable data operations.

If your team has a narrow focus on anomaly detection or prefers a SQL-first, hands-on approach to monitoring, tools like Anomalo or Bigeye can be great fits. However, for broader needs like data governance, business impact analysis, and cross-functional collaboration, a platform like Sifflet offers more comprehensive data observability.

Data lineage tracking is a game-changer for data teams. It helps you understand how data flows through your systems and what downstream processes depend on it. When something breaks, lineage reveals the blast radius—so instead of just knowing a table is late, you’ll know it affects marketing campaigns or executive reports. It’s a critical part of any observability platform that wants to move from reactive to proactive.

Sifflet is integrating deeply with local development tools like dbt and the Sifflet CLI. Soon, you'll be able to define monitors directly in dbt YAML files and run them locally, enabling real-time metrics checks and anomaly detection before deployment, all from your development environment.

The very first step is to set clear objectives that align with your company’s level of data maturity and business needs. This means involving stakeholders from different departments and deciding whether your focus is on exploratory analysis, business intelligence, or innovation through AI and ML. These goals will guide your choices in data stack, platform, and hiring.

Using WHERE instead of HAVING when not working with GROUP BY clauses is crucial because WHERE filters data earlier in the query execution. This reduces the amount of data processed, which improves query speed and supports better metrics collection in your observability platform.

Data lineage tracking is a key part of any robust data observability framework. It helps you understand where your data comes from, how it’s transformed, and where it flows. This visibility is essential for debugging issues, ensuring compliance, and building trust in your data pipelines. It's especially useful when paired with real-time data pipeline monitoring tools.