Data used to be a physical thing, stored on paper and in ledgers. Security was also a physical thing, with valuable data protected by actual locks and guards. Today, we navigate a landscape dominated by code, algorithms, and digital streams of data, a far cry from those early days. Yet, despite these transformative changes, the […]
Thriving in the “Second Wave” of Big Data Modernization
The idea of managing data at tremendous scale is hardly new. Most businesses embraced the concept of “big data” and associated technologies (like data lakes) at least a decade ago. However, the adoption of modern AI technology has introduced major new challenges to the big data world – so many, in fact, that it feels […]
Modern OLAP: From Static Beginnings to a Big Data Renaissance
Online analytical processing (OLAP) enables users to interactively extract insights from complex datasets by querying and analyzing data in a multidimensional way. By structuring data by dimensions and measures, OLAP allows for intuitive and immediate slicing, dicing, and pivoting to interactively answer critical business questions. OLAP has come a long way since its inception. The […]
A Brief History of Data Quality
The term “Data Quality” focuses primarily on the level of accuracy possessed by the data, but also includes other qualities such as accessibility and usefulness. Some data isn’t accurate at all, which, in turn, promotes bad decision-making. Some organizations promote fact-checking and Data Governance, and, as a consequence, make decisions that give them an advantage. […]
How to Become a Data Engineer
The work of data engineers is extremely technical. They are responsible for designing and maintaining the architecture of data systems, which incorporates concepts ranging from analytic infrastructures to data warehouses. A data engineer needs to have a solid understanding of commonly used scripting languages and is expected to support the steady evolution of improved Data Quality, […]
Fundamentals of Data Virtualization
Organizations are increasingly employing innovative technology called “data virtualization” (DV) to tackle high volumes of data from varied sources. Data virtualization is widely used in enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), and sales force automation (SFA) systems to collect and aggregate multi-source data. From multi-sourced data acquisition to advanced analytics, this technology seems […]
Facing a Big Data Blank Canvas: How CxOs Can Avoid Getting Lost in Data Modeling Concepts
The volume of data now available to businesses continues to grow exponentially. When looking to extract valuable insights into their business’s performance, C-level executives (CxOs) must navigate the big data blank canvas. This requires a strategic approach, in which CxOs should define business objectives, prioritize data quality, leverage technology, build a data-driven culture, collaborate with […]
How to Become a Data Architect
Being a data architect requires a good understanding of the cloud, databases in general, and the applications and programs used to maximize their potential…
Eternal Data: Exploring Infinite Storage Concepts for the Digital Age
The digital age in which we live demands consistent innovation in storage concepts. Companies large and small are interested in scalability, reliability, performance, and – perhaps most of all – cost. We live in an age of infinite storage possibilities and, in the minds of many, infinite storage space. In a monumental announcement on September […]
How to Become a Data Governance Specialist
A Data Governance specialist is responsible for deploying and enforcing policies and procedures that ensure data is used and maintained properly. Some organizations confuse the title “Data Governance (DG) Specialist” with the title “Data Governance Manager.” The DG specialist is not a member of upper-level management and does not dictate policy. This person, however, must […]