ICYMI: Datadog acquired Metaplane (data observability) and Eppo (experimentation) in the past few weeks. On the surface? One helps you catch data quality issues. The other helps you run A/B tests. But step back, and these two moves point to something much bigger ... and something that brings Datadog from infrastructure monitoring to trust and learning—critical for data-to-decision workflows.

What just happened?

  • Metaplane brings automated, ML-powered data observability. Think: schema drift detection, freshness checks, column-level lineage— the data quality that is increasingly critical for a decision-centric and AI-driven organization.
  • Eppo adds experimentation built natively for the modern data stack. You get randomized test assignments , governed KPIs, real causal inference ... and decision validation.

Both fill gaps that Datadog didn’t cover before. Before these, its observability stack was DevOps-first—not designed for the CDAO or analytics org— and frankly, a hard sell to data professionals.

Now, CDAO/AI & Analytics leaders get bundled key feedback loops:

  • Data observability: Know if your data is trustworthy.
  • Experimentation: Know if your decision worked.

This hits at four broader trends we’re seeing across the space:

  • Post-modern data stack rebundling – We’re watching tools mature and begin consolidating again, this time around decision-centric workflows, not just pipelines.
  • Data quality pressure is rising – AI and real-time decisioning don’t forgive poor data.
  • Organizations need to close the loop on what's working – It’s not about dashboards anymore. It’s about figuring out what actually drives outcomes.

💡 Takeaway: If you're a CDAO or AI/analytics leader, here's why you should care

  • If you're already using Datadog, it's time to evaluate how it might now support more data-centric observability and decision feedback loops.
  • If you're not, these moves may change the vendor shortlist. Especially if you're looking to close the loop between data pipelines and business impact.

Either way, watch this space: Observability is moving up the stack from IT to data professionals ... maybe not at the top, but part of your bundle. From uptime → to data trust → to decision performance.

Links to News

📣 Let me know if you’re already exploring Metaplane or Eppo, or if you think Datadog is still a DevOps-first player with a long way to go.

Business Research Themes

Data to Decisions, Innovation and Product-led Growth, Tech Optimization

Roles

Chief Analytics Officer, Chief Data Officer, Chief Digital Officer, Chief Information Officer, Chief Technology Officer

Tags

#DataToDecision