Governing Access
Data mesh is a set of principles for organizing data in large organizations: let the people closest to the data own it, treat datasets as products, and provide governance through platform capabilities rather than central committees. These principles are increasingly recognized as best practice — even by organizations that don’t use the “data mesh” label.
The problem is that implementing data mesh typically requires full organizational restructuring around data domains. Most initiatives fail not because the principles are wrong, but because the transformation is too disruptive.
Querri applies these principles at the platform level, so you get the benefits without the revolution.
Four principles, delivered through the platform
Section titled “Four principles, delivered through the platform”Domain ownership
Section titled “Domain ownership”Users own their data, integrations, and projects. No central team decides what gets loaded, how it’s structured, or who has access. The person closest to the data — the one who understands its context and quality — is the one who manages it.
In Querri, this happens naturally. Users connect their own data sources, upload their own files, and build their own analyses. Ownership isn’t assigned by committee; it emerges from use.
Data as a product
Section titled “Data as a product”Any project or dataset in Querri can become a governed, shareable data product. Share it with colleagues, expose it through API keys, and govern it with access policies. Data products emerge from use — not from top-down design.
The key shift: data products don’t require a data engineering team to create. A marketing manager’s campaign analysis can be a data product. A store manager’s sales report can be a data product. The barrier to creating governed, shareable data is lowered to zero.
Self-serve platform
Section titled “Self-serve platform”Users connect sources, upload files, and run analysis without waiting on a platform team. The platform handles the infrastructure — storage, compute, security enforcement, query optimization — so users focus on their questions, not the plumbing.
Self-serve doesn’t mean unsupported. The AI assistant helps users work with their data, and access policies ensure that self-service doesn’t mean self-governing in a vacuum.
Federated governance
Section titled “Federated governance”Central visibility without central control. Audit trails, coverage reports, and admin controls give leadership the oversight they need. Domain owners apply governance locally through policies and groups. Standards are enforced computationally, not bureaucratically.
The balance: teams can add stricter policies but can’t remove organization-level guardrails. The organization sets the floor; teams build above it.
Why this works without reorganizing
Section titled “Why this works without reorganizing”Traditional data mesh requires restructuring your organization around data domains — creating domain teams, defining data contracts, establishing cross-domain governance. This is a multi-year initiative that most organizations abandon.
Querri skips the reorganization by embedding the principles in the platform itself:
| Traditional data mesh | Querri’s approach |
|---|---|
| Hire domain data teams | Users own their own data |
| Define formal data contracts | Share through governed channels |
| Build a self-serve platform | Platform is self-serve by default |
| Establish a governance council | Admin controls + audit logs + policies |
The principles are sound. The implementation model — requiring organizational transformation — is where data mesh breaks down. Querri applies the principles without demanding the revolution.
Next steps
Section titled “Next steps”- Security & Governance Overview — Querri’s security philosophy
- Sharing — The foundation: everything is yours until you share it
- Access Policies — Federated governance in practice
- Admin Controls — Organization-wide guardrails