There was a time when only elite, tech-savvy staff in an organization understood and felt qualified to discuss data-enabled business decisions. These individuals often possessed advanced academic degrees in data science, data engineering, statistics, operations research, and other allied fields and did not speak the language of the ordinary business staff. As a result, there […]
Self-Service Analytics: Pros and Cons
Self-service analytics empowers the non-technical users in an organization. Traditionally, data analysis was the domain of specialized data scientists or IT professionals with skills to manipulate and interpret complex datasets. In self-service analytics, user-friendly tools enable ordinary business users to conduct data analyses without expert knowledge or support. These tools typically feature user-friendly interfaces, drag-and-drop functionalities, and pre-built templates […]
Building an Enterprise Data Strategy: What, Why, How
No matter how good you feel about the reliability of your company’s data operations, you can’t help wondering on occasion what the chances are that your firm will be one of the victims of the next data outage, malware scourge, or cyberattack. This is especially the case if your job entails ensuring the availability of your organization’s […]
How to Govern a Business Glossary
Many people see the dictionary as a thing of unquestionable authority, with words and meanings that rarely change. Likewise, in corporate culture, business leaders often mistake the business glossary – a collection of data-related terms and definitions used within an organization – as being static, straightforward, and simple to develop and maintain. Timothy Mulholland, associate manager and […]
Creating a Successful Data Quality Strategy
Maximizing the value of data often comes down to ensuring it’s in the right place at the right time and in the right form. While that process may produce magical-seeming results, the road to creating an optimal data quality strategy need not be mystifying. This was the guiding message delivered by Monika Kapoor – director […]
Six Common Digital Transformation Challenges
During digital transformation, one of the most formidable challenges organizations face is resistance to change and the complexities of effective change management. Human nature often gravitates toward familiarity and routine, making any deviation a source of discomfort. This psychological inertia can stem from various factors including fear of job loss, perceived inadequacy in new skill […]
Improving Data Quality with Data Stewardship
To get value from data, data stewards must understand and apply business requirements. When business ambiguity arises about how to best serve data stakeholders, data stewards need to know how to find out this information and with whom to speak. By doing so, stewards can align fit-for-purpose data with business needs and improve data quality. Data stewards understand […]
Data Ethics: New Frontiers in Data Governance
Would you feel comfortable serving as a Data Governance consultant for an organized crime family … but not for a brokerage with tax fraud in its past? Could the use of ransomware be considered socially acceptable if its demands benefitted needy children? These hypotheticals might sound outrageous – indeed, they are meant to be provocative – but […]
Data Storytelling 101
Humans are inherently wired for stories. Stories captivate our imaginations, simplify complexity, and provide context – and turn abstract figures into relatable scenarios. Data storytelling takes advantage of this human passion. In data storytelling, the message is conveyed through engaging narratives, making the data insights inspire a high level of trust among the audience. It empowers stakeholders […]
Evaluating Enterprise Data Literacy
Any organization that aims toward complete digital transformation must move toward enterprise data literacy. So, what exactly is data literacy? Gartner defines data literacy as: “The ability to read, write and communicate data in context, including an understanding of data sources and constructs, analytical methods and techniques applied – and the ability to describe the […]