Part I establishes why the discipline of enterprise data architecture must change, and what must remain constant as it does. It begins with the Enterprise Data Architect at an inflection point, examines the enterprise as a connected system of strategy, capabilities, information, and technology, surveys the modern data landscape, and closes with the principles and practices that give architecture its continuity.
The central question of Part I is simple: why must enterprise data architecture change? The answer is not that the old foundations have failed. Modeling, integration, governance, and platform design remain essential. What has changed is the scope and consequence of architectural decisions in an enterprise increasingly shaped by cloud platforms, distributed ownership, and artificial intelligence.