It started with two tickets to Helsinki Data Week, because Jessica Talisman is speaking at the Opening Event, and if you know her work on Knowledge Engineering, you know you don’t miss that.
Then I spotted a familiar name among the organizers: Säde Haveri. I know Säde from the Knowledge Graph Academy of the The Knowledge Graph Guys, where we studied semantic systems together – learning from Katariina Kari, Tony Seale, and Jessica.
That led me down the Helsinki Data Mafia podcast rabbit hole, where Säde and Juha Korpela have this brilliant conversation about why organizations keep pouring millions into graph databases and AI platforms, without doing the homework that actually makes any of it deliver value.
Almost at the same time, Jessica published the first article of a new series on Knowledge Graph Architecture. And I thought: this circle is closing too perfectly not to write about it.
So I did.
In this article, I connect the dots between the podcast, Jessica’s architecture framework, and what I’ve learned along the way:
🏗️ Why a graph database without architecture is just an expensive database with a different shape
🧩 The components you actually need before you load a single triple
🛡️ Why your competitive advantage should never live in the foundation model
🧭 What the Semantic Governance Layer is and why it keeps humans in the loop
⚡ The optional powerhouse: what becomes possible once the foundation is solid
I’m only scratching the surface! For the full deep dive, check out Jessica Talisman’s series on Knowledge Graph Architecture.
👉 Read the full story on my Substack: 🔗 „Before You Buy the Graph Database: Start Building Architecture.“
You need to definitely check these resources:
➡️ Helsinki Data Mafia Podcast Episode “Towards HDW2026!” 🔗 spotify.com
➡️ Jessica Talisman: “Knowledge Graphs, Part I, Architecture, Components and a Landscape of Patterns” 🔗 https://lnkd.in/ettGTfyc
➡️ Jessica Talisman: “The Ontology Pipeline – A Semantic Knowledge Management Framework” 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eaTKS9WM
My Track Record
Over nearly 30 years, I’ve been building exactly these bridges between business, processes, and data:
- At A1 Telekom Austria, I designed and implemented the Enterprise Information Architecture, later leading the development of the central Big Data Platform and Data Lake.
- I created frameworks for data ingestion, integration, and governance, replacing legacy systems with modern, scalable architectures.
- I’ve worked on data modeling, data warehouses, and BI systems that supported planning, reporting, and decision-making across the company.
- Today, I’m expanding my expertise into Knowledge Engineering, Generative AI, Agentic Workflows and platforms like Databricks and Azure, making sure my architectural work fully enables next-generation AI solutions.
My passion has always been the same: turning data into clarity and business value.