Organizations want a solid and usable Data Strategy template – a well-thought-out plan for a set of decisions that form a pattern, charting a high-level course of action – but face challenges. For example, only 30% of companies have impactful data strategies that align with some operations, resulting in wasted investments in improving analytics and business insights. Instead, most […]
What Is Data Governance? Definition, Types, Uses
Data Governance (DG) is a business program and bedrock that supports harmonized data activities across the organization. It accomplishes this goal as a formalized framework implemented to the specifications of a corporate Data Strategy. Applying governance, as a whole, requires connecting different components – such as roles, processes, communications, metrics, and tools – to increase the likelihood that the […]
Understanding Data Mesh Principles
ThoughtWorks consultant Zhamak Dehghani defines data mesh as a “decentralized sociotechnical approach to sharing, accessing, and managing analytical data in complex and large-scale environments – within or across organizations.” This type of Data Architecture continues to generate interest among corporations, and data professionals will need to become familiar with data mesh architectures, such as those with data lakes or warehouses. […]
Overcoming Eight Data Literacy Barriers
Leaders want “everyone, everywhere, and all at once to become highly data-literate, demonstrate a high capability to read, work with, and analyze data,” says Dr. Wendy Lynch, founder of Analytic-Translastor.com and Lynch Consulting. As a consultant to numerous Fortune 100 companies, she understands why organizations want all their members to have a high level of Data Literacy. […]
Fundamentals of Metadata Management
Metadata powers effective action on information by providing context, content, and structure. When this information is managed well, data consumers can find and get the correct data they need. As Atlan Prukalpa Sankar states, “Metadata is the glue that can bind the modern data stack together, the layer that will allow increasingly diverse, siloed tools and people to collaborate effectively.” Grasping the […]
How Generative AI Will Transform Business
Generative AI – specifically ChatGPT – has taken the world by storm. From writing about AI in a Shakespearean style to basic programming, ChatGPT promises to disrupt existing workflows and reengineer daily life. In the meantime, companies face another revolution with generative AI. They can remove all the data fed to ChatGPT, then replace it with a company’s […]
Blockchain Technology Demystified
Prepare for blockchain technology to play a significant role in business, society, and almost everything. While 45% of CIOs said their organizations had yet to invest in blockchain between 2016 to 2021, that will change as information exchange becomes decentralized and demonstrated use cases show blockchain’s success. Blockchain spans various industries, from real estate, insurance, health care, […]
Data Literacy Training for Data Engineers
It may seem counterintuitive to think of data engineers needing to improve Data Literacy, the ability to read, work with, analyze, and argue with data. After all, data engineers apply technical Data Literacy skills to build and optimize operating systems and pipeline channels. At the same time, data engineers show gaps in using organizational Data Literacy and communicating […]
Metadata Management vs. Master Data Management
Businesses rely on knowing their data to survive and grow. Metadata management and master data management (MDM) provide essential processes for organizations to gain this knowledge and succeed. As a result, both need to be managed well. However, the differences and intersections between metadata management vs. master data management are often complicated to disentangle for […]
Data Lineage Demystified
Trusting big data requires understanding its data lineage. Without data lineage, big data becomes synonymous with the last phrase in a game of telephone. The original data from the first person (e.g., “a guppy swims in a shark tank”) changes to something completely different when it ends with the last person (e.g., “The puppy that […]