I Fought the Law… and the Law Won

Feb 26, 2013 by Rich Murnane

There’s an old statistical phenomenon which states that in listings of numeric data, the first digit of about 30% of the numeric values should start with the value of 1 (and ~17% should start with the number 2, 12.5% should start with the number 3, etc…). The phenomenon is known as Benford’s law and it is named after a…

Do You Have To Let It Linger?

Feb 19, 2013 by Rich Murnane

Yes, “Big Data is cool” but “all the cool kids are doing it” is no reason to forget about two of the most fundamental practices of data management: data archiving and data purging. Data management professionals need to work with their business and leaders to determine when data is no longer needed. We then need to work with…

A Pirate Looks At 40…

Dec 10, 2012 by Rich Murnane

The call…
It all started when my aunt gave me an old computer while I was in college. Or maybe I heard the call before that (was I only three feet tall?), I’m not sure, but at one point or another I got hooked on computers. I have never been much of a “hardware” guy (e.g. build my own machine kind of thing) and I’ve never been much of a gamer (Wii Mario Kart is about as cool a game as I’ve ever played). I have, however, always had an affinity for data and using data to solve problems.

IDEAS and The Five-Year Engagement

Sep 24, 2012 by Rich Murnane

While I’m not planning to run out and see the new movie The Five-Year Engagement (ahh, it seems like it’s a “chick flick,” right?), I can tell you that this year’s IDEAS conference will be the fifth in which I’ve been in attendance. I always look forward to making the trip to see the gang every October and learning tips and tricks from some of the most intelligent folks in the data management industry. The fact the conference is in Las Vegas is certainly very exciting; I can’t help but wonder if anyone from the conference will end up having a Vegas wedding?

Nobody Said it was Easy…

Sep 17, 2012 by Rich Murnane

It’s been about ten years since the band Coldplay released their song “The Scientist,” and I have to admit I really enjoy listening to this song. I listen to music quite often while working and when this song plays it reminds me of my data management journey since arriving at my current shop. Let’s take a peek at the lyrics and see why.

London Calling

Jul 26, 2012 by Rich Murnane

The 2012 Summer Olympic Games are upon us in the city of London and the excitement of the games is spreading throughout the globe.

In DataGeek speak, London is the capital city of what used to be the country of England.  The country of England is now one portion of the country of United Kingdom (UK) whose full name is “United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.”

Where the Wild Things Are…

Jun 05, 2012 by Rich Murnane

With the recent passing of Where the Wild Things Are author Maurice Sendak, I can’t help but reminisce about the tale told in the book and the fantastic illustrations of wonder.  The book is most certainly one of my favorite books to read to my kids.  What does the children’s book have to do with data management you might…

Big Data “In the Air Tonight”

May 14, 2012 by Rich Murnane

Rich Murnane continues Big Data Week at the Roundtable, as he wonders if Big Data is all a misunderstanding…

Do Not Pass Go…

Mar 26, 2012 by Rich Murnane

Oftentimes, at data quality conferences attendees will hear presenters say things like, “You want your data correct so your executives don’t end up going to jail,” but for the life of me I can’t find (Google) a single instance of people going to jail for what I would call traditional (or operational) data quality issues. Sure there are cases where companies decide to “adjust” their financials to make themselves appear better than they are, but at the operational level there isn’t a whole lot we’d be able to do to stop something like this. Has anyone out there seen the mobile phone television commercial where the person adjusts the bar chart on their smart phone, moving the final bar higher? Every time I see that commercial a little piece of heart dies because no data visualization with any sort of integrity should be that easily adjusted.