Data literacy (DL) describes how well an individual or organization understands, works with, analyzes, visualizes, and applies data to reach their goals. The specific context and use case determine what applying data literacy looks like in practice. For example, while reading visualizations on product deliveries provides value, true data literacy involves going further. It involves actively […]
What Is a Graph Database? Definition, Types, Uses
A graph database (GDB) models data as a combination of nodes (vertices) and edges (relationships) with equal importance. Businesspeople query these structures to reveal patterns and insights within the data and their associations. These would be difficult to discern from other data visualizations, such as tables, charts, and documents. Since humans naturally think by associating one concept with another, people […]
Automated Data Management Tools
“Why?” a chief technology officer (CTO) may ask when the subject of automated Data Management tools arises. After all, their organization has probably already been storing, archiving, and backing up enterprise data day after day with success. For example, setting up a Database-as-a-Service (DBaaS) from a reputable cloud computing provider, with appropriate access to data, […]
What Is Data Privacy? Definition, Benefits, Use Cases
Data privacy describes a set of principles and guidelines to ensure the respectful processing, protection, and handling of sensitive data linked to a person. This concept ties to who can define, observe, use, and control a person’s information and how. Typically, privacy spans two types of levels: implicit rules and written legislation. Implicit rules cover norms, behaviors, and values […]
What Is a Data Dictionary? Definition and Benefits
A data dictionary describes data in business terms, including information about the data. It includes elements like data types, structure details, and security restrictions. Unlike business glossaries, which focus on data across the organization, data dictionaries support data architectures – the technical infrastructures that connect a Business Strategy and Data Strategy with technical execution. This support references high-quality metadata that describes data platform attributes […]
Data Architecture Trends in 2024
Data Architecture, the corporate infrastructure connecting business and data strategies, will face competing priorities in 2024. On the one hand, nearly half of organizations will gravitate toward modernizing their data architectures to increase operational real-time analytics and enable AI and ML (machine learning) capabilities. Simultaneously, with concerns about AI impacts, about 80% will prioritize security and Data Governance in […]
What Is a Data Catalog? Types, Benefits, Uses
A data catalog inventories and makes critical datasets available through metadata management. This platform informs businesspeople about what dataset assets exist and are related, where to find them, when they appeared, who created them, and how to access them, among other insights. As centralized repositories, data catalogs aim to be relevant to users across an organization, […]
What Is a Data Strategy? Components and Uses
A Data Strategy is a reliable touchstone created by an organization for businesspeople to apply when confronting challenges in executing data activities to meet or support a business strategy. It offers direction when generating, updating, storing, and consuming data to better perform these tasks. Managers use a Data Strategy to plan, assess, and synchronize data […]
What Is Data Architecture? Components and Uses
Data Architecture describes the infrastructure that connects a Business Strategy and Data Strategy with technical execution. Ideally, Data Architecture happens within a systematic framework, providing a foundation for people and systems to work with data. Three types of components underlie the architecture infrastructure and connect to drive insights, make data-driven decisions, and manage risk. They include: Specific examples of […]
What Is Data Management? Definition, Benefits, Uses
Data Management (DM) comprises a comprehensive collection of consistent and responsible practices, concepts, and processes. These resources align data for business success and implement a Data Strategy. Additionally, they span long-term, abstract planning to hands-on, day-to-day data activities. Since DM spans many outcomes, behaviors, and activities throughout the data lifecycle, companies find organizing it into a framework helpful. […]