First thoughts

Having threatened to blog for many years, there is no better time than the present to actually do so.

We live in an era that creates more data about events or activities than we can make sense of. New technologies can help us harvest, shape and analyse data. But finding patterns and determining & actioning insight requires both analytical & practical intelligence. So technology is only an enabler if we leverage what’s possible and know how to put the tools to good use.

As a consultant, I get exposure to a variety of business challenges that require analytical solutions. Using new age self-service BI tools (mostly Power BI) has made it possible to convert a conceptual solution to a tangible proof of concept with ease and within a very short space of time. My background as a BI professional with tools such as Analysis Services, Integration Services and Reporting  Services has made the transition trivial. In contrast, business adoption of self-service BI tools are slow and challenging for many reasons that may be a future topic of discussion.

In this space I’ll attempt to blog about common, useful and interesting patterns that I encounter during my labour of love in the world of data. Although it has a technology focus, expect some random posts about BI concepts, analytical thinking and practical intelligence.