Don't Panic! It's Just Data
Business & Finance
About
Not only do many businesses have more data than they know what to do with, but they also often struggle to gain insights from some of the most valuable data in their possession, leading to many of their crucial data assets going unused. Whether it's issues with data quality, visualization, or management, getting lost in the sea of enterprise data at your possession can make it impossible to make smart, data-driven decisions that improve your business. The "Don't Panic! It's Just Data" podcast delves deep into the power of enterprise data. From groundbreaking vendor solutions to expert-backed best practices for making the most of your data assets, join us as we gather insights from leading tech vendors and professionals who depend on data daily.
Episodes
- Is “Frankenstein Data” Slowing Down AI Transformation in Insurance Enterprises?
In the Don't Panic! It's Just Data podcast, experts Mark Duffy, Mark Blake, and host Scott Taylor discuss how 'Frankenstein data' – fragmented and inconsistent information – is preventing insurance companies from achieving expected results…
- Can Your MDM Strategy Survive the Shift to Real-Time AI Decision-Making?
In the Don’t Panic! It’s Just Data podcast, Jignesh Patel and Elsebeth Gundersen Jensen explain that real-time, trusted data is essential for business infrastructure due to the always-on digital economy and AI adoption. They highlight how…
- Why Is the Semantic Layer Critical for Data Governance, Compliance, and AI at Scale?
In the Don't Panic! It's Just Data podcast, Doug Laney and Adrian Estala explore the critical role of the semantic layer in addressing enterprise data challenges. Estala explains how this architectural approach shifts focus from technical…
- AI Is Replacing BI — Here’s What CIOs Need to Know
AI is transforming Business Intelligence (BI) by evolving it rather than replacing it, according to Adrian Estala on the Don't Panic! It's Just Data podcast. The shift involves creating data products with a business semantic layer, enablin…
- Why Data Quality Makes or Breaks AI Success in Supply Chain and Procurement
In this episode of Don’t Panic! It’s Just Data, Pascal Bensoussan explains that successful AI in procurement and supply chain hinges on high-quality, unified data. He stresses the importance of a solid data foundation, addressing employee…
- Revenue-Ready Data Is Not Magic, It’s Engineering
This episode of Don't Panic! It's Just Data discusses why many AI initiatives fail to deliver revenue. Hosts Trisha Pillay, Paul Brownell, and Sergio Morales explore the "revenue data gap," highlighting that AI success depends on robust da…
- How to Navigate the Trust Paradox in AI Adoption: Insights from Informatica’s 2026 CDO Report
This episode discusses the "trust paradox" in AI adoption, as detailed in the CDO Insights 2026 report. Despite rising AI budgets and executive confidence, data foundations, quality, and AI literacy lag, creating a risk of overconfidence a…
- Are You Scaling Intelligence — or Just Scaling Errors?
In the 'Are You Scaling Intelligence — or Just Scaling Errors?' episode of Don't Panic! It's Just Data, host Shubhangi Dua and guest Herb Blecher challenge the notion that more data equals better AI. Blecher warns that AI amplifies errors…
- Is AI Analytics the Missing Link Between Business Users and Data Teams?
Barry McCardel explains that true data democratization requires more than just access; AI is now addressing the complexity of analytics, challenging traditional roles and ownership to bridge the gap between business users and data teams. H…
- How To Scale AI in Digital Commerce Effectively
This episode discusses the difficulties digital commerce teams face in scaling AI solutions, focusing on the gap between ideas and practical implementation. Hosts Dana Gardner, Jürgen Obermann, and Piotr Kobziakowski examine architectural…
- The Modern CFO is the Product Owner of Data
In this episode, Vineta Bajaj and Pavel Dolezal discuss the evolving CFO role, emphasizing that modern finance leaders must own data as a product. They explore how starting with a governed source of truth, followed by automation and then A…
- Responsible AI Starts with Responsible Data: Building Trust at Scale
This episode of Don't Panic! It's Just Data features Amy Horowitz and Kevin Petrie discussing how responsible AI fundamentally begins with responsible data. They highlight that AI's promise is limited by the quality of its data, and robust…
- The Missing Piece: How Data and AI Impact Management Unlocks Business Value
Host Doug Laney and Nadiem von Heydebrand discuss Data and AI Impact Management, emphasizing the 'value layer' to connect data initiatives with business needs. They explain how prioritizing, collaborating, and applying a product mindset tr…
- The AI-Ready Data Core: Creating the Foundation for Intelligent Systems
This episode discusses the necessity of AI-ready data for modern business decision-making, highlighting the challenges of fragmented data and the shift from traditional Master Data Management (MDM) to AI-ready data cores. Host Doug Laney a…
- From Data Steward to AI Strategist: Redefining the Role of the CDO in the Agentic Era
This episode discusses the evolving role of Chief Data Officers (CDOs), moving from regulatory compliance to strategic AI leadership. It highlights the importance of data governance as foundational for AI and addresses the challenges of ma…
- Is Your Financial Reporting Ready for the Future?
Host Scott Taylor and Kevin Gibson explore the evolving landscape of financial reporting, addressing how finance teams can improve speed, accuracy, and efficiency. They discuss data accessibility challenges, the impact of cloud migration,…
- How enterprises can enable the Agentic AI Lakehouse on Apache Iceberg
Will Martin from Dremio discusses enabling the Agentic AI Lakehouse on Apache Iceberg, highlighting how it avoids data migration hassles and enhances data analysis. The conversation covers federated access, data quality improvements, and t…
- The Real Future of Data Isn’t AI — It’s Contextual Automation
Keboola CEO Pavel Dolezal introduced a new data agent with contextual intelligence and generative AI at Big Data LDN 2025, emphasizing its accessibility for all business users. He argued that context, not just technical skills, is key for…
- Why Unstructured Data Governance is the Key to Scaling AI
This episode discusses the importance of unstructured data governance for scaling AI, highlighting the role of generative AI and LLMs. It features Reece Williams Griffiths and John Santaferraro, exploring how unified data platforms and pre…
- BARC DATA festival online: Practical AI Case Studies for Professionals
This episode discusses the practical realities of integrating emerging technologies into business operations, emphasizing the importance of data governance and human oversight. It also previews the BARC DATA festival online, an event focus…
- From Chaos to Launch: Your Product is Ready, Your Data Isn't
The podcast episode "From Chaos to Launch: Your Product is Ready, Your Data Isn't" on "Don't Panic! It's Just Data" features Doug Laney and Søren Lundtoft discussing the inefficiencies of managing product data across multiple platforms usi…
- Stop Fighting Excel: How to Turn Your Spreadsheets into a Real-Time Reporting Powerhouse?
This episode of Don't Panic! It's Just Data features Kevin Petrie, Maeghan Carriere, and Nate Cook discussing how finance teams can leverage tools like Spreadsheet Server to transform familiar Excel into a real-time reporting powerhouse. T…
- Data Experts Question: Is Data Infrastructure Ready for Responsible AI?
A panel of data experts discusses the readiness of data infrastructure for responsible AI, covering topics like data ethics, governance, quality, and the measurement of AI value. They examine AI's societal impacts and the need for balance…
- How RAG and Graph RAG Take Generative AI to the Next Level
This episode discusses how Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and especially Graph RAG can overcome limitations in enterprise AI, which often struggles with unused "dark" data. Graph RAG enhances AI accuracy and trustworthiness by utiliz…
- Winning with Data: Inclusion, Innovation and Community at Big Data LDN
This episode of Don't Panic, It's Just Data features host Trisha Pillay with Andy Steed of Big Data LDN and Roisin McCarthy of Women in Data. They discuss Big Data LDN's 10-year journey, focusing on how the event prioritizes inclusivity, a…
- The 10-Year Journey: AI Madness, Data Governance, and the Future of Big Data
Host Shubhangi Dua discusses the 10th anniversary of Big Data LDN with Michael Ferguson and Palesa Amadi. The conversation previews conference themes including AI-driven data governance, new session tracks, and speaker highlights for the u…
- From Elasticsearch to Leading Edge: Vinted’s Journey to Data Modernisation
Vinted migrated its data architecture from Elasticsearch to Vespa to support AI search use cases. They faced challenges with Elasticsearch
- Struggling with ERP Data? How to Get Real-Time Reporting in Excel
Christina Stathopoulos discusses with Miller and Michael Wiley the challenges of financial reporting from ERP systems to Excel. They explore how tools like Spreadsheet Server enable real-time data access, helping finance teams move from ma…
- What is AI Hyper-Personalisation in CX and Why Does it Matter?
John Santaferraro, Rahul Sareen, and Gary Class discuss how AI and hyper-personalisation are reshaping customer experience. The conversation covers using AI to analyse unstructured data and the potential for AI agents to proactively resolv…
- AI’s Silent Killer: Technical Debt & the Hidden Costs of Bad Data
This episode discusses the hidden costs of AI technical debt, emphasizing the need for a strong data foundation. Experts Paul Brownell and Frank Lavigne agree that without proper data engineering, data quality, and governance, AI initiativ…
- The Infinity Loop: What's Trapping Financial Institutions in Data Patching?
This episode discusses the 'infinity loop' or 'patching loop' that traps financial institutions in a continuous cycle of fixing and patching data pipelines. Errol Rodericks from Denodo explains the challenges of reactive data management, t…
- Don't Just Forecast, Flourish: The Integrated Path to Financial Agility
This episode discusses the integration of financial planning into BI platforms, moving beyond Excel to improve collaboration and agility. Speakers highlight how unified data views and real-time capabilities help organizations adapt to vola…
- Your Data’s GPS: Navigating Modernisation with Precision
In this episode, Kevin Petrie and Nidhi Ram discuss data modernization, emphasizing accessibility over new technologies and the continued importance of mainframes. They highlight the critical role of data quality and governance, especially…
- Leading Up to The Peak: Can Data Integration Solve Key Enterprise Challenges?
This episode previews the Peak of Data and AI event, featuring insights from Donnie Owsley, Jeff Burton, and Tom Lavery. They discuss data integration for enterprise challenges, using FME for IT issue resolution, and developing an accessib…
- Is Your Finance Team Stuck in the Past? Real-Time Answers
This episode of 'Don't Panic! It's Just Data' discusses the challenges and benefits of real-time data integration for finance teams. Guests Thomas Gore and Cody Riemenschneider explain how real-time data and the shift to XP&A can improve c…
- Building Trust in Data: Transparency, Collaboration, and Governance for Successful AI
This episode of 'Don't Panic! It's Just Data' features Shawn Rogers speaking with Errol Rodericks about the critical role of trusted data in AI success. They discuss how transparency, collaboration, and governance are essential for buildin…
- Why is a Customer Data Strategy a Competitive Edge?
This episode discusses Customer Master Data Management (CMDM) as crucial for a unified customer view and competitive advantage. Experts explain its importance for customer engagement, ethical data use, and leveraging AI for better experien…
- The Peak of Data and AI: Speaker Sneak Peek
This episode previews The Peak of Data and AI event in Seattle, featuring speakers discussing data validation, integrating systems like Survey123 with FME, and automating public safety workflows. Key takeaways include the importance of dat…
- Mastering Collaborative Financial Planning
In this episode of 'Don't Panic, It's Just Data,' Warwick Leitch and Debbie Reynolds explore collaborative financial planning. They highlight the importance of executive buy-in, data accuracy, and the human element in budgeting and forecas…
- The Future of Data Centres Energy
This episode of Don't Panic! It's Just Data discusses the growing energy consumption of data centres, driven by AI, and explores sustainable solutions like smart grids and microgrids. It highlights the importance of regulatory frameworks a…
- Data Trust or Bust: The Key to AI Success
This episode discusses the essential role of data trust for successful AI initiatives. Hosts Christina Stathopoulos and Jay Limburn share insights on how trusted data enables confident decision-making, enhances operational efficiency, and…
- Mapping Success: How FME Powers the San Antonio River Authority’s Data Journey
The San Antonio River Authority (SARA) successfully integrated FME to revolutionize its data management. FME enabled SARA to streamline data integration, enhance efficiency, and improve decision-making, notably in predictive flood modeling…
- Navigating the Edge: Data Management Strategies
This episode discusses strategies for managing data in edge computing environments, emphasizing security, governance, and the challenges of data sprawl and vendor lock-in. It also covers data repatriation and the need for high-quality data…
- Rethinking Real-Time Analytics: Building the Foundation for Real-Time AI
This episode discusses the evolution of real-time analytics from a necessity to a revolution, driven by technologies like Kafka and Spark. It addresses challenges with legacy systems and highlights the importance of modern data platforms,…
- Like Peanut Butter and Jam: the Synergies of AI and Master Data
This episode discusses the integration of AI and Master Data Management (MDM). It highlights how MDM provides clean, structured data essential for AI models, leading to improved analytics, predictive insights, and automation. The conversat…
- Usage-Based Magic: Turning Cloud Data Into Dollar-Saving Decisions
This episode discusses the challenges of cloud cost management and highlights the importance of usage-based reporting for gaining visibility into spending patterns. Guests Rem Baumann and George Firican explore how businesses can leverage…
- Data Drama: The Custody Battle for Your Bytes
Paulina Rios Maya and guest Debbie Reynolds discuss the complexities of data custodianship, covering global regulatory compliance, ethical data usage, and the importance of human oversight. The episode also explores the role of AI in data…
- GenAI Investments: Are the Benefits Meeting Expectations?
This episode discusses the integration of Generative AI and unstructured data in business for improved customer experiences and streamlined processes. Experts cover AI's role in sustainability, ethical considerations, and the importance of…
- How Fivetran Automates Data Movement for Global Enterprises
This episode covers Fivetran's Hybrid Deployment launch at Big Data London 2024, focusing on data movement for enterprises with mixed IT environments. It explores AI integration, data security, and compliance challenges, highlighting the i…
- Optimising Network Traffic Costs with Vantage
This episode discusses optimising network traffic costs using Vantage Network Flow Reports. It covers how these reports provide insights into cloud expenses, identify cost drivers, and enable significant cost reductions. The discussion als…