In this episode, Neil Strange and Alex Higgs unpack the buzz around data contracts—what they are, why they matter, and how to implement them in real-world data pipelines.

Whether you're dealing with broken data pipes, poor quality, or unclear ownership between systems, data contracts can help. This episode covers the basics, shares practical examples, and points to tools like dbt, as well as books by Andrew Jones and Chad Sanderson.

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⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro: Why talk about data contracts?

00:33 – What is a data contract (and why do we need them)?

01:47 – How are data contracts actually enforced?

02:20 – dbt’s approach to data contracts

03:13 – Governance: What happens when a contract is broken

03:43 – Preventative vs reactive data quality

04:52 – Data contracts vs API versioning

05:23 – Recommended reading: Andrew Jones & Chad Sanderson

05:58 – Using contracts in your architecture

06:16 – Are they overkill? When to start using them

06:33 – Lean thinking and early detection

07:03 – When to define data contracts in your pipeline

07:27 – Final thoughts and how to get involved

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