Database Reference
In-Depth Information
technology approaches may be simple. For each data product, create a docu-
ment or folder for capturing insights. The document may simply be screen
shots of the relevant part of the content along with an annotation explaining
why it is interesting. As a historical artifact, this document will reveal patterns
of common issues and best practice approaches for responding to those issues.
More important than a complex technology solution is an organizational
culture that encourages dialogue and action after the insights are first found.
DISTILL
The scourge of data in most organizations is the ever-growing collection of
reports that get generated month after month. New reports are created but
seldom killed. The mass of data products quickly becomes difficult to navigate
and the right information is hard to find. Even for the data that has found a
suitable audience, there is seldom a feedback loop. The direction and needs
of the organization may change, yet the content does not change to fit evolv-
ing demands.
Data products should be living documents. They should improve over time or
be removed if they are no longer relevant. It is a matter of survival of the fittest.
Data fluent organizations recognize that too much content—particularly data
content—will clog up the channels of communication. The data products must
be distilled to the essential information. You want to clean out distractions
and emphasize the most useful remaining parts.
To filter and clean your data product ecosystem, you need processes in place
to gather feedback from your users. The feedback needs to impact how data
products are designed and produced.
LEARNING FROM wIkIPEDIA
Possibly the best example of an online living “document” is Wikipedia. Although
many people benefit from the front end of Wikipedia, there is a whole eco-
system undergirding the popular website. The data that is viewed by all is
created and managed by a network of administrators, bureaucrats, stewards,
reviewers, and other specialty groups. The ecosystem governs the content
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