Let’s define data and analytics and how specifically they are interpreted within the business context. Within a business context, many people consider data and information to be one and the same. While one can argue the definition of each, when talked of in conjunction with analytics, data becomes a resource to be interrogated for a…
For three days last week, New York City became the #datacapital of the world. Data leaders and data citizens from 29 countries and every industry gathered for #datacitizens18. What were some key themes? 1.) Is data governance dead? As governance becomes integral to every data oriented scenario – analytics, AI, compliance, privacy and more –…
We are surrounded by huge amount of data. Data is everywhere and is gaining huge importance and relevance in today’s world. There are many firms that are performing tasks of gathering, retrieving and managing data. This requires systems that can help us handle that much amount of data. Machine Learning has helped us in gathering…
As you read this I will be on my way to New York City ahead of next week’s Collibra Data Citizen’s conference This is the third year that the event is being held, and it is rapidly becoming the event of the year for organisations that are serious about their data It is great that…
When I first started posting about big data, very few users existed in South Africa. Today, most last organisations have a Hadoop data lake – in many cases replacing traditional ETL and/or acting as a data archive as well as a feeder to the enterprise data warehouse and, various operational data marts. In a few,…
When people think about the future of business, it’s often in terms of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, or other concepts that even a few years ago would seem like impossible science fiction. But amidst all the glitz and glamour of a hyper-connected world, “the boring stuff” often goes unnoticed. The day-to-day science…
A few weeks back I wrote about the The 6 dimensions of big data quality. These are: Coverage – how well does the data source meet (or fail to meet) the business need? Continuity – How well does the data set cover all expected or needed intervals? Triangulation – How consistent is data when measured form…
The results of Syncsort’s 2018 Big Data Trends survey have been releases and can be accessed as a ebook by following the link. One clear result of the survey, which engaged several hundred IT professionals over multiple industries is that what was unfamiliar technology four years ago is now becoming an integral part of the…
Historically, data quality has been measured in terms of dimensions including: Accuracy – the degree to which data reflects the real world Completeness – data that is adequately populated Timeliness – That data is available when expected and needed Consistency – that data across all systems reflects the same reality Conformity – that data has…
This weekend’s scandal involving the Australian cricket team and their attempt to cheat against South Africa has made world news. Even CNN had a ticker running in the subject and Americans don’t even watch cricket. For those that haven’t been paying any attention to the news – on Saturday, as the third Test match in…
The European Union’s Global Data Protection Regulation comes in to effect in just over two months. Given that this is European legislation, why should South African businesses care? The obvious answer – GDPR applies to any business that deals with the personal data of EU citizens. This may mean you – even if your business…
If you have heard of the Ides of March, you know you’re supposed to beware them. Why? In ancient Rome, the Ides of March were equivalent to our March 15th. In William Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar, a soothsayer warns Caesar to “Beware the Ides of March”, the day on which he would be assassinated by…
