Are you drowning in Data?
You have a number of applications collecting various pieces of data in order to run your business. What do you have to do in order for an analyst to make an informed decision?
For the majority of your business operations, dashboards should show current activity. Thresholds can be established for when a particular event takes place and alerts sent automatically. Simulations can be run based on past performance to gauge or even predict the performance of what-if scenarios.
All of these things can be done, the question is: Are they being done?
Are there so many copies of your application databases, that the cost of servers, disk arrays and storage going through the roof?
Are multiple people required to keep track of which backups and restores are done on a nightly basis driving personnel costs up?
Are business analysts spending more time collecting data than understanding, interpreting and making recommendations, reducing efficiency?
There is a better way.
A person who studies the practices of data management and the applicability of the various data management tools, procedures or methodologies to the needs of the business can make a difference in the use of an organizations data.
This difference can be measured in many ways. It could be an increase in revenue because a relationship was found in the data that could not have been seen before a new business intelligence system was deployed. It could be cost savings of physical equipment.
More often it is the saving of personnel time associated with gathering data just to answer questions.
Some proponents of vendor solutions will suggest that they have all of the answers to your data needs. Perhaps some vendors do have solutions. However, bringing in a vendor solution will not relieve an organization of the responsibility of data management.
The best way to work with vendors is to get them to fully understand all of the pain points associated with your data. No single vendor can solve all problems. Smart people with a vested interest in making your company successful will help you management your data.
Proliferation of data makes an organization stronger. If data is killing you, then you need someone to tame the beast and make data work for you.
Make your data work for you, rather than you work for your data.
Who are the people that will make your data work for you? A database administrator is a good start, many I have spoken to have plenty of ideas for how to make things better.
A data architect is the best start. Data Architects are the people that have studied data management best practices. A great Data Architect can quickly come to an understanding of your pain points and make recommendations that can be done soon to make sure that data works for you.
You have a number of applications collecting various pieces of data in order to run your business. What do you have to do in order for an analyst to make an informed decision?
For the majority of your business operations, dashboards should show current activity. Thresholds can be established for when a particular event takes place and alerts sent automatically. Simulations can be run based on past performance to gauge or even predict the performance of what-if scenarios.
All of these things can be done, the question is: Are they being done?
 Image via Wikipedia |
Are multiple people required to keep track of which backups and restores are done on a nightly basis driving personnel costs up?
Are business analysts spending more time collecting data than understanding, interpreting and making recommendations, reducing efficiency?
There is a better way.
A person who studies the practices of data management and the applicability of the various data management tools, procedures or methodologies to the needs of the business can make a difference in the use of an organizations data.
This difference can be measured in many ways. It could be an increase in revenue because a relationship was found in the data that could not have been seen before a new business intelligence system was deployed. It could be cost savings of physical equipment.
More often it is the saving of personnel time associated with gathering data just to answer questions.
Some proponents of vendor solutions will suggest that they have all of the answers to your data needs. Perhaps some vendors do have solutions. However, bringing in a vendor solution will not relieve an organization of the responsibility of data management.
The best way to work with vendors is to get them to fully understand all of the pain points associated with your data. No single vendor can solve all problems. Smart people with a vested interest in making your company successful will help you management your data.
Proliferation of data makes an organization stronger. If data is killing you, then you need someone to tame the beast and make data work for you.
Make your data work for you, rather than you work for your data.
Who are the people that will make your data work for you? A database administrator is a good start, many I have spoken to have plenty of ideas for how to make things better.
A data architect is the best start. Data Architects are the people that have studied data management best practices. A great Data Architect can quickly come to an understanding of your pain points and make recommendations that can be done soon to make sure that data works for you.
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