The Year of the Datechnibus

Oct 05, 2011 by Jim Harris

This morning at the DataFlux IDEAS 2011 conference, I am participating in the Data Roundtable panel with David Loshin, Joyce Norris-Montanari, Rich Murnane, and Phil Simon.  The panel is moderated by Jill Dyché and the topic of discussion is Predictions and Trends for 2012.

This blog post explains my prediction for 2012, but if you don’t agree with me, there’s no need to worry because my blog post from last week explained why most predictions don’t come true.

“What is is the was of what shall be”

Sep 28, 2011 by Jim Harris

Two of the many things that I am looking forward to at next week’s DataFlux IDEAS 2011 conference is seeing the new book Tales from the Data Roundtable and participating in the Data Roundtable panel with David Loshin, Joyce Norris-Montanari, Rich Murnane, and Phil Simon.  The panel will be moderated by Jill Dyché and the topic of discussion will be Predictions and Trends for 2012.

Some IDEAS…

Aug 29, 2011 by Rich Murnane

I’m really looking forward to heading down to Florida for the DataFlux IDEAS conference in early October. This will be my fourth IDEAS conference, and each year the number of attendees climbs, and the DataFlux team never fails to be outstanding hosts. The conversation is always great, the events are fun and the training is always top-notch.

Lessons and Observations from IDEAS, Part II

Oct 28, 2010 by Phil Simon

I recently attended the DataFlux IDEAS 2010 Conference and had an amazing time. In last week’s post, I detailed five lessons from IDEAS 2010. I’ll list five more lessons and observations from the event.

Lessons

5. Jim Harris has got to be the first person to ever sing a song about Data Governance.

Now, I won’t say that my good friend Jim Harris‘ rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” brought the house down, but the man gets an “A” for effort. After a song rife with levity, Jim, Steve Schutter of TerraData, and I spoke on a panel about analytical vs. operational data issues. The video will be up soon and – in my not so unbiased opinion – it was a great discussion worth checking out.

4. Some software companies know the definition of bad business.

By virtue of my professional background, let’s just say that I have seen some very poorly run projects in my day. In many – but not all – instances, the software vendor (at least in my view) was at least partially at fault for selling an organization way more software than it could legitimately handle. During a dinner conversation with some DataFlux folks, the topic of “bad business” came up. Let’s just say that DataFlux  is one company that assesses fit between vendor, application, data, client, and culture before making a sale. As for why, who knows? Being privately held doesn’t hurt. While exceedingly rare in my travels, it’s just great to see a company with a genuine concern for their clients’ best interests.

Lessons and Observations from IDEAS, Part I

Oct 21, 2010 by Phil Simon

I recently attended the DataFlux IDEAS 2010 Conference and had a chance to meet many people I’ve been following for quite some time. In no particular order, they included: Jim Harris, David Loshin, Jill Dyché, Evan Levy, Dalton Cervo, Rich Murnane, and a host of cool DataFlux folks. I also made some new friends. In this post (and a subsequent one), I’ll be discussing the lessons learned at the conference.

Lessons

I have a strong affinity for round numbers, so here are five of my top 10 lessons.

10. Most organizations are still struggling with basic data management.

Many organizations are trying to get their arms around their data. Besieged by reduced headcounts and massive amounts of data, some really smart people are fighting the good fight. Yet, there are limits to what even the smartest among us can do. SQL statements have their limitations and many more would benefit from data profiling and quality tools.

DataFlux IDEAS 2010 – You Missed a Good One!

Oct 18, 2010 by Joyce Norris-Montanari

I just got back from the DataFlux IDEAS conference held in Palm Springs, CA. It was the best conference I have attended in a long time. I thoroughly love hearing about how companies are using these products to affect their bottom line, and implement data governance. I talked with people who implemented data governance on a national level as well as…

Doing the Right Thing…

Oct 11, 2010 by Rich Murnane

On the return trip from the DataFlux IDEAS conference I was lucky enough to share a cab with Jim Harris. He complimented me on the recent blog post Have you filled your data bucket today, which was inspired by a children’s book my wife and I read to our little girls. As we discussed the post, Jim…

Data, Priorities, and Muhammad Ali

Sep 23, 2010 by Phil Simon

I’m getting ready for the DataFlux Ideas Conference in a few weeks. I am excited to meet some of my fellow COE colleagues and some of the DataFlux employees with whom I have been working over the last year. I’m also pleased to be speaking on a panel about data issues.

For three reasons, I’m not doing an extensive amount of preparation:

• At least in the business and technology worlds, I like to think that I know what I’m talking about.
• I enjoy fresh presentations and tend to shy away from overly polished ones.
• I’m part of a panel discussion; it’s not all about me.

However, I have been thinking a good bit about a quote from Muhammad Ali, who once said, “Don’t count the days, make the days count.” While he surely wasn’t talking about data quality, governance, or management, it’s apropos for the panel — and for everyday life in the world of information management, really.

Conference Season

Sep 13, 2010 by Joyce Norris-Montanari

Well, it seems to be THAT time of year again. There is a plethora of conferences this year in October and November. I, for one, must be selective as to which ones I attend. 

To narrow down my search, I am looking for the biggest bang for my bucks. Which, for those who know me, means my time is very valuable, and…