Best of TDWI's Data Digest
Online articles of interest in the last week include a focus on shadow BI projects, sampling and big data analytics, and data streams and storage.
Bringing Shadow BI in to the Light
(Source: Information Age)
Shadow BI -- BI applications made and overlooked by non-BI or IT professionals because their response to business needs is too slow -- may be as simple as user-developed Excel spreadsheets. Such ingenuity might be applauded at first, but shadow BI comes with some serious issues in the long run. This article suggests the best ways to make such applications useful and compliant.
Small Sample Size Hampers Big Data Analysis
(Source: Datanami)
Big data's most useful aspect is the sheer amount of information it can contain in a large sample size. However, data analytics is being performed on incomplete sets of data and thus the big data collected is not being used to the fullest. This article explains how you can analyze bigger datasets for maximum gain and the value of predictive models.
Data Streams: The New Lifeblood of Your Enterprise
(Source: InfoWorld)
The most cost-efficient data storage is one that requires no storage after analytics. A system that can analyze data as soon as it comes in and then retain only the analysis rather than the data itself would be incredibly efficient. This article provides an overview of how the future of data storage is heading in that direction.
Desktop Virtualization: Fad or Future?
(Source: Computer Weekly)
Virtualization of the desktop is not perfect for every enterprise in the same sense that virtualizing servers is almost always more efficient. This article explores the power of virtualization and what your enterprise should consider before you go virtual.
Keeping Pace with the Flexible Datacenter
(Source: Datamation)
Making sure your IT infrastructure can keep up with the pace of innovation is extremely difficult since old datacenters can become obsolete quickly if they are not flexible. This article gives a primer on the importance of a flexible datacenter and the good vendors for one.
Quint Turner is an editorial intern at TDWI and an undergraduate English student at Skidmore College. Follow his blog at pungry.com.