Building the AI-Ready Data Foundation for Commercial Pharma
Most AI pilots in pharma fail — not because the models are wrong, but because the data foundation is broken. This is a practitioner's guide to building the foundation that makes AI actually work.
Paperback · Hardcover
Everyone wants AI. Few have built the data foundation to make it work. Data First. AI Next. shows how to turn fragmented commercial data into a connected, intelligent enterprise — ready for AI, advanced analytics, and real-world impact.
The entire book is built on one architecture: a five-layer path that connects raw commercial data to working AI. Sketched simply, on purpose — so it can be acted on, not merely admired.
— the five-layer architecture at the heart of the book —
The blueprint that connects data to intelligence — from raw sources all the way to working AI use cases.
Create the golden commercial model so every team — and every AI agent — speaks the same language.
The single identity backbone that unlocks true customer understanding across CRM, claims, and beyond.
Purpose-built products for insights, actions, and AI agents — not just another dashboard backlog.
The most common (and expensive) data and AI mistakes pharma teams make — and how to sidestep them.
Structures and ways of working that scale the foundation and sustain real-world impact.
“ The ideas in this book are meant to be acted on, not merely admired — which is why the diagrams are drawn simply, as if sketched on the back of a paper napkin. ”
Karthik has spent twenty-five years building data and analytics capabilities for the world's leading pharmaceutical and biotech firms. He is passionate about helping commercial organizations turn data into intelligence — and intelligence into real impact.
Data First. AI Next. is his debut book: the field guide he wishes every commercial data team had on day one.
Kural Press is an independent imprint inspired by the Thirukkural — the Tamil classic that proves profound ideas can live in very few words. We publish practical books on data and AI: drawn simply, written clearly, and made to be used.
Like a kolam — intricate ideas, drawn from simple dots and lines.Available now in paperback and hardcover editions.
Bulk orders for teams? Write to karthik@kuralpress.com