<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>The Data &amp; AI Stack</title><description>Long-form, research-backed guides on data architecture, data engineering, governance, analytics, machine learning and generative AI — from ingestion to agents.</description><link>https://varath.dev/</link><language>en-us</language><item><title>Data Modeling for the Modern Stack: Kimball, Data Vault, OBT &amp; Medallion</title><link>https://varath.dev/blog/data-modeling-modern-stack/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://varath.dev/blog/data-modeling-modern-stack/</guid><description>Kimball, Data Vault 2.x, One Big Table and medallion layers compared on one example, plus a layered recipe for a lakehouse people and AI can trust.</description><pubDate>Tue, 27 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category>data-architecture</category><category>data-modeling</category><category>lakehouse</category><category>analytics</category></item><item><title>Catalogs: The Metadata Control Plane of the Lakehouse</title><link>https://varath.dev/blog/lakehouse-catalogs-metadata-control-plane/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://varath.dev/blog/lakehouse-catalogs-metadata-control-plane/</guid><description>Why the catalog is the most strategic lakehouse decision: how the Iceberg REST protocol works, how Polaris, Unity, Glue and Horizon compare, and how to choose.</description><pubDate>Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category>data-architecture</category><category>lakehouse</category><category>data-catalog</category><category>apache-iceberg</category><category>data-governance</category></item><item><title>Open Table Formats Deep Dive: Iceberg, Delta, Hudi &amp; DuckLake</title><link>https://varath.dev/blog/open-table-formats-deep-dive/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://varath.dev/blog/open-table-formats-deep-dive/</guid><description>How Iceberg, Delta Lake, Hudi and DuckLake turn Parquet files into reliable tables — metadata, commits, deletes, maintenance — and how to choose in 2026.</description><pubDate>Tue, 06 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category>data-architecture</category><category>lakehouse</category><category>apache-iceberg</category><category>delta-lake</category><category>apache-hudi</category><category>ducklake</category></item><item><title>Warehouse vs Lake vs Lakehouse: A Decision Guide for 2026</title><link>https://varath.dev/blog/warehouse-vs-lake-vs-lakehouse/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://varath.dev/blog/warehouse-vs-lake-vs-lakehouse/</guid><description>Warehouse, lake or lakehouse? How each really works, why the lines blurred in 2026, and a decision tree, scorecard and scenarios to choose yours.</description><pubDate>Fri, 02 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category>data-architecture</category><category>lakehouse</category><category>data-warehouse</category><category>data-lake</category><category>apache-iceberg</category></item><item><title>Data Architecture: The Complete Guide for the AI Era</title><link>https://varath.dev/blog/data-architecture-complete-guide/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://varath.dev/blog/data-architecture-complete-guide/</guid><description>What data architecture really is, the six layers of a modern platform, how we got from warehouses to open lakehouses, the patterns that matter in 2026 — and a practical framework for choosing yours.</description><pubDate>Fri, 25 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category>data-architecture</category><category>lakehouse</category><category>data-mesh</category><category>streaming</category><category>ai-ready-data</category></item><item><title>Welcome: Mapping the End-to-End Data &amp; AI Stack</title><link>https://varath.dev/blog/welcome-the-data-ai-stack/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://varath.dev/blog/welcome-the-data-ai-stack/</guid><description>Why this blog exists, what it will cover, and how the series are organized — from data architecture to AI agents.</description><pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category>data-architecture</category></item></channel></rss>