What makes big data ‘big’ and how does it differ from our traditional understanding of data? The difference is not really in size. In other words, there is no clear demarcation — you can’t say that data which is larger than “x” size becomes big data. Although we have been storing and processing data for…
Is big data always better data? In other words, is it always helpful to have more data? Not necessarily — and here’s why. From the time we first got excited about big data, we were told that the magic lies in the ability to find meaningful insights from large data sets, or data so voluminous…
In an article published in 2005 entitled, “What is Web 2.0?”, Tim O’Reilly first used the term “Big Data” to refer to a large set of data that is almost impossible to manage and process using traditional business intelligence tools. The use of that term peaked between 2013 and 2015, and even found a place…
The availability of good quality data is a great business asset and competitive advantage. Once you have gathered accurate and relevant data, you can use it to persuade potential buyers and close deals, build consensus within your own organization or devise competitive strategy. In all these cases you need to present the data to various…
The quality of data cannot be stated in absolute terms as it is relative to the intended application. The same set of data may be considered to be of good or poor quality based on a particular situation or application. Hence the saying that “all accurate data are not created equal.” Data is considered to…
A vast majority of the data that is generated in the real world is unstructured and is vital to further our understanding of the world. While the analysis of structured data can help us to know what is happening, it is unstructured data that may reveal why. Because unstructured data doesn’t fit neatly into the…
While data is acknowledged as the basis for business strategy and competitive advantage, the storage of that same data is often overlooked, or treated as a commodity. It’s time to change that — because how data is stored has a profound impact on your business, affecting data security, productivity, and costs. Why the right data…
In order to make meaning out of data, it has to be effectively organized, stored and analyzed. That’s why it’s important to know the nature of the data — specifically whether it’s structured or unstructured. Structured data fits into predefined fields and can be organized into a spreadsheet or a relational database, while unstructured data…
The various kinds of data that are generated through a variety of sources at practically every moment are categorized as structured, unstructured or semi-structured. In our previous post, we saw that unstructured data is usually complex and heterogeneous and cannot be mapped to a predefined structure such as a data table or a relational database. …
Did you know there is more than one type of data? We examine structured vs. unstructured data in our article. Data enables understanding, analysis, and informed decision making – whether in business or government or even for individuals. Traditionally, we’ve always organized and standardized data and mapped it to predefined fields. Mature systems and technologies…