What Will the Modern Data Stack Look Like in 2025?

The Modern Data Stack 2020 Conference featured a keynote panel discussion on the future of data tools and technology. Fivetran CEO George Fraser led the conversation with four industry experts, including Michell Ufford, Martin Casado, Bob Muglia, and Tristan Handy. Topics covered included the role of data lakes in modern data stacks, how machine learning will influence analytics, and potential use cases for the modern data stack. The panelists shared their insights on these subjects, with some predicting a shift towards decentralization of data teams or a "data mesh," while others believed that SQL data warehouses would replace data lakes in the future. They also discussed the possibility of an open-source file format for sharing between different use cases and the potential for machine learning to be integrated into analytics tools. The panel concluded by exploring various use cases, such as complex medical data and autonomous decision-making applications, that may become more prevalent within the modern data stack in the coming years.