New book explores logical data management for AI readiness
Denodo and O'Reilly have released a new book, The Rise of Logical Data Management: An Essential Data Strategy for Transforming Your Business in the Age of AI, authored by Christopher Gardner of the University of Michigan.
Christopher Gardner, a business intelligence analyst and lead Tableau developer, has written the book to explore how logical data management is influencing enterprise approaches to data in the context of AI, the emergence of data lakehouses, and the increasing necessity for real-time, self-service data access.
Logical data management explained
The book defines logical data management as an approach that enables organisations to connect various data sources virtually, creating a centralised and AI-ready data layer without the need to physically relocate data. This model is positioned as a solution for enterprises pursuing scalability with AI projects and seeking to simplify the accessibility of dependable data throughout their operations.
"Logical data management is a data management approach based on logical or virtual connections to data. This approach is applied to an organization's existing data structure to provide more uniform control over security, create a central data marketplace, and unify disparate underlying systems into a common format," Gardner explains.
The book provides an in-depth examination of both the technological foundations and the business advantages of adopting this strategy. It draws on perspectives from industry analysts, including Gartner and GigaOm, to reinforce the increasing importance of logical data management.
Meeting current enterprise needs
The need for logical data management, according to the author, has escalated due to the growing requirements of AI and data self-service. AI systems demand what is described as "AI-ready" data: governed, trusted, secure, and available in real time. Traditional physical data repositories such as data warehouses, data lakes, and data lakehouses, the book argues, fall short of delivering these capabilities independently.
Gardner's analysis suggests that many organisations are now supplementing existing data infrastructure with logical data management to meet business and technical objectives, especially around user and AI access to reliable information. He notes the significance of a universal semantic layer for translating data into a business-relevant language, bridging accessibility for both human and machine users.
Industry reaction
"Denodo has long championed the 'logical-first' approach to managing data. Organisations are spending time and money on moving, storing, and maintaining persisted data, even when it is not necessary. In addition, a logical approach exposes new forms of data to multiple users, AI agents, and AI applications, to support a wide range of use cases, including real-time use cases. This book validates our approach and explains how it works for data leaders as well as technically savvy business stakeholders," said Alberto Pan, executive vice president and chief technical officer at Denodo.
The book is positioned as a resource for both C-level executives and other business or technical stakeholders. It addresses improvements in customer experience, operational efficiency, performance, and scalability, with detailed examples included throughout the text.
Written perspectives
"It was a real eye-opener for me to do the research for this book. Logical data management is a promising strategy, offering a flexible, straightforward way to simplify access to all sorts of information across the organization, and make it ready for self-service and AI," said Christopher Gardner.
Industry voices outside of Denodo have also weighed in on the book:
"I read The Rise of Logical Data Management to stay on top of where data and AI are heading. My favorite line was: 'You can think of a logical data layer as a library, where you have access to the knowledge it contains without having to obtain your own copy of every book.' To me, this captures the whole point of logical data management. Instead of copying and moving data around into multiple systems, you create one place where people can discover, understand, and use it; without needing their own duplicate version. If you care about data access, governance, or how AI will actually scale in the enterprise, this book is definitely worth your time," said Kate Strachnyi, founder of DATAcated.
"The Rise of Logical Data Management" is a valuable read, detailing the historical and evolving challenges related to data management, and describing how taking a more strategic approach can help companies get more value from their data infrastructure investments," said Paul Weiskopf, Advisory Board Member for Denodo. "The line which particularly spoke to me was, 'It's not just about managing data, it's about empowering data to be a decisive tool for achieving customer satisfaction, operational excellence, and innovative breakthroughs.'"
Book access
The book offers practical guidance and perspectives for organisations seeking to navigate the complexities of data management in a business environment increasingly shaped by AI and changing data architectures. Denodo is providing complimentary access to the publication via its website.
