--- title: "Data Silos: Types, Causes and How to Break Them Down" url: https://daily.dev/posts/data-silos-types-causes-and-how-to-break-them-down-ocjwfew3n source_url: https://www.decube.io/post/data-silos type: article source: "Decube" published: 2026-08-12T09:43:27.039Z updated: 2026-08-12T09:43:58.721Z tags: ["big-data", "data-engineering", "data-management"] reading_time: 17 upvotes: 0 comments: 0 language: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Data Silos: Types, Causes and How to Break Them Down **[Decube](https://daily.dev/sources/decuberss)** · 17 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Data silos are not simply data living in multiple systems — they are separations that block a legitimate use. Three distinct types exist: technical (storage not connected), organisational (access controlled by one team), and semantic (same term means different things in different places). Most silos originate from defensible decisions like acquisitions, compliance requirements, or teams shipping fast. Some silos should deliberately remain, particularly those required by regulation or those that limit breach blast radius. The recommended fix is to centralise context rather than data: inventory what exists, agree written definitions for reported terms, make metadata searchable, and only then move data for uses still blocked. Semantic silos — where two teams produce different numbers from the same warehouse using different but valid definitions — cannot be fixed by any pipeline or migration, only by a business glossary with owned definitions attached at the point of use. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### What is the difference between a technical, organisational, and semantic data silo? Technical silos separate storage — data sits in systems that don't connect. Organisational silos separate access — data is reachable but one team controls who can use it. Semantic silos separate meaning — the same term describes different things in different places, so two correct reports disagree. Each requires a different fix: tooling for technical, governance decisions for organisational, and a business glossary for semantic. No pipeline work touches semantic silos. _Teams untangling cross-team data disagreements track the latest thinking on data governance on daily.dev._ ### Does moving data into a data warehouse fix data silos? A data warehouse fixes only technical silos. It does nothing about a team controlling access, and it actively hides semantic silos by placing two conflicting definitions of the same term in the same location — where the disagreement then looks like a data quality problem rather than a definitions problem. Definitions must be agreed before or alongside any consolidation effort, not after. _Developers and data engineers debating warehouse-first vs. metadata-first strategies find relevant discussions on daily.dev._ ### How do I decide which data silos to break down and which to leave in place? Run each silo through four questions in order: Is separation required by a regulator, contract, or residency rule? Would merging widen the blast radius of a breach? Is there a named person today whose work is blocked? Does it produce conflicting versions of a reported number? The first 'yes' decides the outcome. Regulated or security-boundary silos should stay; only publish their metadata. Break silos only when a named person is blocked from a named use. _Data platform teams navigating governance trade-offs like these share approaches on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Unlocking your data: the value is in collaboration](https://daily.dev/posts/unlocking-your-data-the-value-is-in-collaboration-0mxvmfqvq) · Scott Logic · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Breaking down the data silos: why single views require collaboration](https://daily.dev/posts/breaking-down-the-data-silos-why-single-views-require-collaboration-g38tutcpz) · TechCentral · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Breaking silos with SAS: agile insurance in an uncertain world](https://daily.dev/posts/breaking-silos-with-sas-agile-insurance-in-an-uncertain-world-d9vkxa0ue) · TechCentral · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#big-data](https://daily.dev/tags/big-data), [#data-engineering](https://daily.dev/tags/data-engineering), [#data-management](https://daily.dev/tags/data-management) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/data-silos-types-causes-and-how-to-break-them-down-ocjwfew3n)