Recent acquisitions in the data and AI markets highlight a trend towards consolidation and the decoupling of storage and compute, emphasizing the importance of governance in managing multi-structured data. As organizations face governance fragmentation, the need for unified governance solutions becomes critical, with companies like Databricks and Collibra leading the charge towards more scalable and flexible governance architectures. The competition in the data and AI space is intensifying, driving innovation and efficiency in data management practices.

The article presents seven critical questions that every data team should consider to enhance their effectiveness and drive better outcomes. These questions focus on team alignment, data governance, stakeholder engagement, and the overall impact of data initiatives. Answering them can help data teams clarify their objectives and improve collaboration within organizations.