Why companies need to understand their data landscape
In the modern business world, there is hardly a more valuable resource than data. Companies collect it all the time: Sales figures, customer data, production information, social media interactions, website analytics and much more. But is a lot of data automatically good data? This is one of the biggest challenges of our time - how companies can turn their data into valuable insights.
Understanding the sea of data
Data is everywhere - in every department, at every level of a company. This data comes in different forms: structured in tables and databases or unstructured as text documents, emails or images. But the more data there is, the more difficult it becomes to keep track of it. And this is where the real problem begins: many companies don't even know what treasures lie hidden in their data because they simply don't have the means to analyze it properly.
Data alone is not valuable - only the insights gained from it can move a company forward. But how can you filter out what is really important from a mountain of information?
Visualization: The window into the world of data
This is where modern analysis tools come into play. Tools such as Tableau make it possible to present huge amounts of data in an understandable way. With a Tableau dashboard, raw data can be transformed into impressive visualizations: Bar charts, heat maps, interactive filters - all can be created at the touch of a button. These graphical representations enable decision-makers to quickly recognize which trends are emerging and where action is needed.
But as simple as this sounds, one important question remains:
is this visualized data always the right data?
Big data vs. good data: The challenge
Having a lot of data does not automatically mean that it is useful or accurate. Not all information is valuable, and sometimes data is even misleading. “Big data” does not equal ‘good data’. This is where companies need to start: It is important to distinguish which data is significant and which is not - because incorrect or poorly prepared data leads to the wrong conclusions.
The trick is therefore not only to collect data, but also to curate it. Companies must ensure that the data they use is accurate, up-to-date and relevant. Only then can they build on informed decisions that really drive the business forward.
The future lies in quality
Ultimately, it is about companies developing a strategic data culture. The focus should be on the quality of the data, not just the quantity. A dashboard based on incorrect or irrelevant data is worthless - no matter how nice it looks.
Data for a project
It is very important for a project that the customer knows their data and sends us the right data. And only the data that is important for a presentation. For example, one customer sent us a data set of over 20 GB, of which we only needed 110 MB to complete the project. The data was also sent in a .bak file. It took a long time to upload and download the file. Problems opening the file because it was too large.