Database Reference
In-Depth Information
DATA IN THE INTErNET AGE
It's no secret that in today's enterprises many organizations are inding data
in all sorts of new places. Departments are doing more of their own IT and
analysis, and the concept of self-service reporting is no longer a myth; it is
rapidly becoming the norm. Folks are using data from wherever they can
access it to give them a leg up on doing better analysis and inding more
insight from data they already have. This section covers some common data
sources you will run into in an enterprise and when you may want to leverage
them for storing your data as you collect it.
SPrEADSHEETS
Spreadsheets, which are one of the most common data sources, are popular
because they are so easily created and very accessible. Spreadsheets can
store many diferent types of data, but typically store inancial information
and extracts from other systems, and function as a collection point for data
consolidated from many other sources. A recent Gartner report said that more
than 90% of all the reports in the world wind up in Excel to be manipulated.
With that being the case, it is easy to see why Excel and spreadsheets became
such a critical source for our data.
WHEN To STorE DATA IN A SPrEADSHEET
Spreadsheets are typically created by analysts and then consumed by analysts,
sales professionals, and executives. Professionals in many departments are
consumers of this data, and in many cases it is reviewed in a meeting either
on a shared screen over the Internet or on a projection in a conference room.
Spreadsheets are consumed in many ways, but the most important thing to
remember about the simple spreadsheet is that it's not really simple at all.
Spreadsheets can have complicated formulas and macros built into them.
These complications can cause challenges when using spreadsheets as a
source and should be mitigated as part of your data processing or loading,
depending on how the visualizations are being sourced. Some of these con-
cerns can be mitigated by converting your spreadsheets to use PowerPivot or
a tabular model (more on this later). These options give you more powerful
capability to embed calculations that will perform better on larger volumes of
data. Spreadsheets are an incredible, powerful source and will likely be used
extensively in any visualization exercise, but remember that data may not need
to be sourced directly from spreadsheets and to use the most appropriate
source for the type of visualization desired.
