Intro to Semantic Layers

The modern data stack has seen significant investment in recent years, focusing on the initial stages of handling data and improving cloud data warehouses. However, utilizing this data to accomplish something meaningful has received less attention. One exception is the semantic layer, which serves as a central definition layer for "what things mean" and "how we calculate anything." A solid semantic layer offers numerous benefits, including increased flexibility, reliability, reduced maintenance costs, and more context for wherever data is used. Prioritizing efforts and achieving small early wins can be helpful in creating an accurate and useful semantic layer. Some modern data analytics platforms offer tight integration with a semantic layer, ensuring all metrics, ad-hoc explorations, and alerts rely on the same gold-standard definitions.