Intelligent Enterprise | Strategic Knowledge, by David Stodder

Data Warehouse Appliances: Are They Simple or Complex?

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 09:08:07 -0500

In these recessionary times, giant convention hotels can feel like empty cathedrals. At the recent TDWI World Conference (August 2-7), the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego looked as though it could have benefited from a little religious exhortation to draw people inside its halls. Of course, with the city and its surrounding waters basking in the bright summer sunshine, some might have entered, checked in and slipped out the back way to enjoy an ice cream in Seaport Village rather than settle in for some data warehousing instruction. However, they would have missed not only TDWI's expanding educational offerings -- from the "soup" of technical data warehouse design to the "nuts" of how executives can use information for business leadership -- but also evidence of significant shifts going on in the BI and data warehousing market.

From its appearance, the TDWI exhibition show floor looked pretty much as it always has. Familiar faces were in place at many of the booths, although not necessarily in the same booths as before. There was the usual contest to get your card stamped by the exhibitors; this time, if you got them all, you were entitled to a trip inside a little booth full of money being blown around by air hoses. You could keep what you caught: Not a bad deal in these tight times. If you're ever in one of those, from my observation the most effective ways to trap bills were to press them into your underarms, use your forearms to squeeze them against your chest and pinch bills against your collarbone with your chin. Yes, you look ridiculous, but you must be ready to hold that pose until the assistant plucks the bills off of you. Teeth were ineffective. I would not recommend trapping bills between the knees: someone fell over trying to do that.

JetBlue Structures the Unstructured Customer

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:15:35 -0500

Angry customers vent. I know, because I did it last night after getting fed up with poor cable TV reception. Rather than call the provider's contact center as I had previously, I decided to use the online chat service. Not wasting time, I started the conversation with some country hardball, letting the agent know that I was upset. "Oliver" replied with effervescent joy; he typed out a profuse apology for my inconvenience and let me know what a true pleasure it would be to serve me. Not satisfied that he got my point, I tossed off another angry comment, which prompted another delight-filled apology. He then offered his hope that I was having a wonderful evening.

A wonderful evening? Did it sound like I was having a wonderful evening? No matter what I said, his pleasure to serve me proved unbendable. It became impossible to stay angry. I felt foolish. And so it worked; the agent broke my anger and we were able to focus on solving the problem.

SAS Global Forum: Chillin' with the Numerati

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 11:03:17 -0500

From my hotel room at the Gaylord National, I could just make out the tip of the Washington Monument. That was about as close as I got to the center of government power, where momentous decisions are being made these days about nearly everything. The Gaylord is in National Harbor, a self-contained new development down on the Maryland side of the Potomac, and therefore at some distance from the heart of D.C. My purpose was to attend the SAS Global Forum, formerly called SUGI, which annually attracts several thousand BI, data mining and statistical analysis experts �- people we may now call "the Numerati" thanks to Stephen Baker's book by that name (he spoke at the conference). Jim Davis, SAS senior vice and chief marketing officer called it "dumb luck" that the Forum happened to be scheduled for inside the Beltway this year, but it sure seemed propitious. There are a lot of big numbers being crunched in and around Washington, D.C., and no doubt some of those in charge could use the "stimulus" that analytics might provide.

Data Validation Can't Be Overlooked

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 07:26:20 -0500

Bad data problems can grind business intelligence or data warehouse systems to a halt - or at least they should, because the alternative is inflicting upon users incorrect or inconsistent information. Adding urgency is concern today about transparency, which is sure to get even more intense as government and other regulatory bodies attempt to correct defects in financial systems and processes. Thus, it is not a bad time for organizations to review their procedures and technology options for data quality, profiling and validation.

Microsoft and IBM Love Their Spots

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 12:52:16 -0500

Vendors, like leopards, feel most comfortable in their own skin � warts, spots and all. Recent developments with IBM and Microsoft prove this adage. Despite the economy, both have enormous resources to avoid existential crises; in fact, a bigger concern could be that their employees are too insulated from reality. The layoffs each announced recently were comparatively minor, leading some analysts to view them more as "wake up calls" to their employees. Their enduring spots, though, have become apparent in how they are adjusting products and services.

Data 'Switzerland' Stretches Out

Mon, 21 May 2007 08:28:09 -0500

Orlando can seduce you. Informatica World, held the week of April 30 � May 3 at Marriott's huge World Center Resort, had to compete with unwavering sunshine, swimming pools, cocoa-butter smells and the patter of vacationing families as they flip-flopped their way down the long corridors with pool toys dangling from childrens' hands. The flight from San Francisco via Denver to Orlando can deposit you at the front desk feeling haggard and grumpy, but it's hard to maintain that sort of edge after a few hours on the grounds of one of these resort hotels amid such carefree folk.

True, nearly all my time was spent in the ballrooms and salons of the convention center. Food and drinks were plentiful, although I had my hand slapped for mistakenly lifting a muffin from a continental breakfast spread that it turned out belonged to a Lenovo sales meeting. Once I found the Informatica coffee and munchies, I settled in for keynotes and track sessions that painted seductive visions of their own. The subject was enterprise data integration; Informatica's goal is to be the hub that brings together structured and unstructured data and lets it flow easily across enterprise boundaries.

Thoughts on Jim Gray, Database Pioneer

Tue, 20 Feb 2007 17:33:09 -0500

After a period of upheaval, I'm ready to resume contributing to the IE blog. My thoughts, however, are clouded by news of the apparent disappearance of Jim Gray, founder and head of Microsoft's Bay Area Research Center (BARC). My heart goes out to his family as well as his immense circle of friends, students and colleagues.

2007: Change is the Constant

Tue, 02 Jan 2007 20:23:56 -0500

It's that time when everyone reveals their predictions, from the staid to the outlandish. Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal can't decide whether inflation is a threat, but a psychic interviewed on "Coast to Coast" is certain that radio personality Dr. Laura Schlessinger will discover that she's a remarkable singer.

Hello, world: Intelligent Enterprise officially joins the blogosphere!

Tue, 14 Nov 2006 20:48:15 -0500

We are excited about opening up this new channel for communication with subscribers and the broader Intelligent Enterprise community. We look forward to participating in the ongoing conversation among the blogs, and to sharing our ideas, reports and observations.