What Is the Modern Data Stack?

The modern data stack (MDS) is a suite of tools used for data integration that includes a fully managed ELT data pipeline, a cloud-based columnar warehouse or data lake as a destination, a data transformation tool, and a business intelligence or data visualization platform. MDS differs from legacy data stacks in its cloud-hosted nature, ease of use, scalability, and reduced technical barriers to entry. The benefits of MDS include time, money, and effort savings due to low and declining costs of cloud computing and storage, off-the-shelf connectors, and the ability for analysts and data engineers to focus on higher-value analytics and data science projects. Key features to look for in each component of the modern data stack include prebuilt connectors, easy scaling, compatibility with destinations, version control, visualization flexibility, and user accessibility. Companies should consider upgrading to MDS when their current infrastructure is hindering growth or causing frequent downtime.