In June’s Book of the Month, we’re reading Doug Needham’s “Data Structure Synthesis.” The tagline on the book is “Boosting Productivity Through Data Structure Reuse.” Ultimately, the book is about combining the mathematical truths of set theory and applying that to data modeling, but all wrapped together in an adventure with the author. Needham starts the […]
Augmented Analytics Tools Can Enable Data Democratization
What is business intelligence democratization? Put simply, BI democratization is the open access to business intelligence and augmented analytics tools to enable analysis and understanding of the data within the enterprise systems. The “democratization” component relates to the “who.” Who gets access to the data? The simple answer is: everyone. In an environment where intelligence and […]
Getting Started with Data Quality
Imagine burning three trillion U.S. dollars. Businesses do this virtually every year because of poor data quality (DQ). In a data-driven age, organizations cannot afford to waste this time and money. Instead, they need to focus on achieving good data quality through a comprehensive program dedicated to business needs. But how does a company implement an effective […]
Book of the Month: “The One About Data”
In this month’s Book of the Month, we’re looking at Fuad Hendricks’ “The One About Data … The Coffee Shop Chats.” This is the first in what is becoming a series of coffee shop chats. The book sets up a true-to-life scenario of a bunch of peers having coffee and solving the world’s data problems […]
Women in Data: Meet Susan Featherston, MPH
The latest installment in our Q&A series with women leaders in data features Susan Featherston, MPH, senior strategic consultant for Vantage Technology Consulting Group. (Read our previous Q&A here.) Susan Featherston, MPH, has been working with data for the past 20 years, across a variety of fields – including non-profits, higher education, federal government, and academic research. […]
Book of the Month: “Non-Invasive Data Governance Unleashed”
In April’s Book of the Month, we’re looking at Bob Seiner’s “Non-Invasive Data Governance Unleashed: Empowering People to Govern Data and AI.” This is Seiner’s third book on non-invasive data governance (NIDG) and acts as a companion piece to the original. It provides some focus on how to apply NIDG principles and leverage data governance to […]
The Challenge of Data Accuracy
Data has become one of the most valuable assets of modern businesses. The data a company collects, analyzes, and monetizes now serves as a distinct “asset class” rather than merely a byproduct of its IT operations. However, the value of data to an organization diminishes rapidly as the information becomes less accurate. Companies are responding to […]
Beyond Data Access: Enabling the Data-Driven Journey (Part 2)
Building on Part 1’s assessment and alignment foundation, we now focus on transforming momentum into sustainable data capabilities. Having established stakeholder buy-in and identified pitfalls, the journey continues with practical implementation that delivers measurable value. Success requires advancing three parallel tracks simultaneously: By progressing these tracks in concert rather than sequentially, organizations can maintain momentum, […]
Building a Data Governance Strategy
Organizations increasingly recognize that an effective data governance strategy determines their ability to innovate and compete. Yet according to DATAVERSITY®’s 2024 Trends in Data Management report, 65% of organizations still rate their data governance programs as being in the initial stages of maturity despite identifying it as a top priority. This maturity gap stems from a common […]
Thinking Like a Data Person: Strategies for Better Decision-Making
Today, data is no longer used for just operations and compliance; it is the driving force behind a company’s strategy and performance. To leverage data for improved business performance, employees must think like a “data person” – a data scientist or a decision scientist. But what exactly is a data person, and how can a […]