Modern Data Stack

# Modern Data Stack

The modern data stack democratizes analytics. Here's how to build it.

## Core Components

**Data Warehouse**

Snowflake, BigQuery, or Redshift. Store all your data.

**ELT Tool**

Fivetran, Stitch, or Airbyte. Load data from sources.

**Transformation Layer**

dbt. Transform raw data into analytics-ready models.

**BI Tool**

Looker, Tableau, Metabase. Visualize and explore.

## Why This Stack Works

**Separation of Concerns**

Each tool does one thing well.

**SQL-First**

Analysts can work independently.

**Version Control**

Transformations are code. Review, test, version.

**Scalability**

Cloud warehouses scale automatically.

## Best Practices

**Incremental Models**

Process only new data. Faster, cheaper.

**Testing**

dbt tests ensure data quality.

**Documentation**

Document models and metrics.

**Orchestration**

Airflow or Dagster for scheduling.

## Evolution

Start simple. Add complexity as needed. The modern stack grows with you.

Data democratization drives better decisions.