Feb
22
2010
When I think about information architecture, I cannot help but compare it to the various forms of architecture in the physical world. Structures range from simple tents and tarps to soaring sky scrapers. In fact the original version of this entry started as I thought back on the scrap-wood tree houses we built as kids and compared them to the modern buildings we live and work in now. Continue Reading »
Jan
19
2010
In order for any IT pro to really enjoy watching NCIS, they have to suspend reality particularly when McGee goes into action. Not action in the field, rather when he instantly gets into databases and merges the results to discover the trail of the villain. It really is BI nirvana. Continue Reading »
Dec
7
2009
Recently an acquaintance summed up data governance as “trying to do what is important, while be sidetracked by what is urgent.” To me this was an interesting observation, because it sums up a paradox associated with data governance. Resolving urgent data quality issues uses so many resources, there are often none left to implement the data governance processes that would resolve the root cause of data quality issues.
Nov
11
2009
Have you ever considered how important the mundane time-stamp is to your BI operations? Think about it, every report includes the element of time in it. The report is a snapshot in time, or covers a range of time. Accurate and timely business intelligence requires good records of the history within your business processes.
The problem we all run into is that the source transaction systems do not apply a great deal of effort recording events. Continue Reading »
Jul
21
2009
Recently I was booking air travel and some of the options struck me as odd routes. You know, going to your destination with two lay-over’s and a plane change. Oh and it takes about twice as long as a direct flight while the difference in price is minimal. So if we would not book our travel that way and we would not choose circuitous routes when driving either. Yet, routinely we architect information systems this way with higher overhead and operating expenses than needs to be spent to achieve the same goal. Continue Reading »
Jul
9
2009
Four Steps to Action
Two things many of my readers are searching for are a good definition for data steward, and a practical path to actionable data governance. This entry addresses the latter. While there is no silver bullet, here are four steps you can take after you get your senior management support. Continue Reading »
Jul
1
2009
Tonight I witnessed a little entertainment over dinner. My home has a view over a channel off the Puget Sound near Seattle. Some poor soul ended up putting his very shiny sailboat hard aground not far from the house. They launched into a flurry of action, got the engine started, and finally had the presence of mind to douse the sails. This got me thinking about the importance of key risk metrics and the importance of keeping an eye on them (I’m weird like that). Continue Reading »