Data fabric, data lakehouse, and data mesh have recently appeared as viable alternatives to the modern data warehouse. These new architectures have solid benefits, but they're also surrounded by a lot of hyperbole and confusion. This practical book provides a guided tour of each architecture to help data professionals understand its pros and cons. In the process, James Serra, Big Data and data warehousing solution architect at Microsoft, examines common data architecture concepts, including how data warehouses have had to evolve to work with data lake features. You'll learn what data lakehouses can help you achieve, and how to distinguish data mesh hype from reality. Best of all, you'll be able to determine the most appropriate data architecture for your needs. I have written this book for anyone with an interest in getting value out of data, whether you’re a database developer or administrator, a data architect, a CTO or CIO, or even someone in a role outside of IT. You could be early in your career or a seasoned veteran. The only skills you need are a little familiarity with data from your work and a sense of curiosity.