Data fragmentation and poor quality data are significant challenges for large organizations around the world. The old computing adage of “garbage in, garbage out” is as true now as it has ever been and inconsistencies between data processing done in separate, parallel point-to-point integrations feeding different systems done on a project basis over time can... more
This just in! Informatica has been named a leader by Gartner in its Data Quality Tools Magic Quadrant. This is the tenth year in a row that Informatica has been a leader in the Data Quality Tools Magic Quadrant. We believe this impressive feat, of being a leader for the past decade, signifies Informatica’s deep... more
Here we are, just a few days from the biggest shopping season of the year. Over the next week, shoppers will flood retail stores and websites in droves searching for the best deals on everything from holiday gifts to the latest tech gadget. Not to disappoint the masses, every consumer electronic company is releasing their... more
The easiest way to understand the importance of Data Quality, especially for those that deal with data processing daily, is to look around and pick up any physical object of daily usage and imagine the process of its transformation from a mix of raw ingredients to an unfinished final product. Would that object be still... more
We marketers work so hard – and spend so much money – to earn customer data that we really want to believe that our job is done once we’ve captured it. The truth is exactly the opposite: the customer data that we neatly store in our databases, CRM systems, marketing automation platforms, and customer profiles... more
Imagine the relief you must feel when you step forth from the rubble, look around, and realize that in spite of your entire town being demolished by a tornado, that your home has miraculously made it. In disbelief you must stand there and take it all in. Everything around you, flattened to the ground but... more
“We need to be more efficient.” “We need to be more nimble.” “We need to show results.” Phrases like these are commonly heard at meetings every hour of the day all over the world. The drive for internal efficiency has been growing faster and faster, with the pace of technology racing in parallel. Regardless of... more
I recently ran into this HBR article about why and how to tell compelling stories with data. HBR also had some interesting insights on storytelling and the use and shortcomings of analytics as well (Davenport, Tom. “10 kinds of stories to tell with data”, HBR, May 5, 2014 and Filbin, Bob and Jeff Bladt, “A... more
We all know this story. Salesperson X logs into Salesforce. Notices a new lead assigned to her. Picks up the phone to call and speak with this lead and hears, “You have the wrong number” or “That person doesn’t work here anymore” or “The number you have reached is not in service”. The example could... more
So as I sit here contemplating life, I realize that change is not only hard but damn’ hard. Not so much for me (of course;-) but for everybody else who does not run into and advise a new company every other week including a wide variety of personalities and business models, aka canonized modes of... more