Data Matters

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Data Matters

Steve Jones - SSC Editor

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August 9, 2011 at 9:13 pm

#241935

Comments posted to this topic are about the item Data Matters
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scarney Valued Member Points: 70 More actions · Answer 1

I am a report developer/data analyst and I agree 100% that data matters. I wish more managers realized the importance of storing clean, organized data.

I have been developing reports for about 9 years and get so aggravated when the end user complains that a report is incorrect due to the "dirty" data entered or the way it is stored. What goes in the database is what comes out. I wish more managers realized the importance of storing clean, organized data; this would make report developing cleaner and easier.

Thank you for this article.

chrisfradenburg SSCrazy Eights Points: 9592 More actions · Answer 2

We actually just created a BI Director position with a team under him. I'm looking forward to see what they'll be doing.

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1000539 More actions · Answer 3

Hear here! This editorial should be required reading for anyone involved with data especially the managers that want the data turned into information. Well done, Steve!

--Jeff Moden

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Evil Kraig F SSC Guru Points: 100851 More actions · Answer 4

Data is not information.

Thanks for the thought to chew on. I know it in theory and practice but something you said (and I can't point to it) just got my mental hamster running full tilt. I'm not quite sure where it thinks it's going, but it might be an interesting trip.

- Craig Farrell

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Mattrick Ten Centuries Points: 1176 More actions · Answer 5

Data is important, but without having the ability to turn it into information, most of that value remains locked away.

This is a point that I am constantly reminding my management and colleagues of. Data does not become an asset until you can protect it and consume it efficiently. Until then, it remains a liability.

Thanks for the editorial, Steve.

Matt

Bob Abernethy SSCommitted Points: 1946 More actions · Answer 6

The more data you have, the less valuable it becomes.

What I am getting at is, if you have a million, or a billion, or a gazillion rows of data, it just becomes harder and harder to make any sense of it. What is it telling you about your business?

It's not until you apply the concepts and practices of what is commonly called Business Intelligence to your data that it becomes valuable information. Otherwise, you are just hoarding data. That adds no value to the business.

Of course, there are gradations along the way between merely hoarding data and making the best use of it to support faster and better decision-making, which also means there are differences in how much value each company's data processing, collecting, storage, etc. is adding to the business.

It's worth thinking about how (and whether) your company is making good business use of its data, and how (and whether) you personally are part of that picture.

chrisfradenburg SSCrazy Eights Points: 9592 More actions · Answer 7

Bob Abernethy (8/11/2011)
The more data you have, the less valuable it becomes.

Tell that to Google. 🙂

Bob Abernethy SSCommitted Points: 1946 More actions · Answer 8

cfradenburg (8/11/2011)
Bob Abernethy (8/11/2011)
The more data you have, the less valuable it becomes.
Tell that to Google. 🙂

Ha... if you hadn't said in your earlier post that you had just created a new BI Director position with a team under him, and were looking forward to seeing what they would be doing, I might have thought you still didn't "get it" about the difference between just having a lot of data and making it into useful information for decision-making purposes.

No need to tell this to Google. They get it too. Google would be worth zero-zip-nada if all they had was a lot of data.

The reason they are worth a lot (and the reason IT can be worth a lot) is that they have figured out how to make all that data useful for the purpose of decision-making.

"What restaurant should we go to for dinner tonight?"

"Which health plan should we choose for our company?"

"Where should we go on vacation?"

I think it's worth noting that Google also figured out how to make all that data useful to non-technical people.

Good luck with your new BI Director and team, and may they make you and themselves worth a lot. 🙂

chrisfradenburg SSCrazy Eights Points: 9592 More actions · Answer 9

Bob Abernethy (8/11/2011)
The reason they are worth a lot (and the reason IT can be worth a lot) is that they have figured out how to make all that data useful for the purpose of decision-making.
"What restaurant should we go to for dinner tonight?"
"Which health plan should we choose for our company?"
"Where should we go on vacation?"

You forgot, "What ad will most likely get this person to buy something?"

Sorry, how much data Google has scares me which is why I don't use Chrome and won't consider using one of their machines. Unfortunately they're just too good at what they do so I still use Gmail, Google Docs, Calendar, and will at least look at Google+.