In today’s data-driven world, businesses are increasingly reliant on their ability to leverage information effectively. This has led to a growing demand for data literacy, not just within data-focused teams, but across all levels of an organisation. And a greater understanding of what data is, how you use your data, and the impact of both poor-quality data and great data across your organisation. Oakland, which has a proven track record in business improvement and transformation, has joined forces with Data Literacy Academy. This strategic partnership combines Oakland’s expertise in data strat ..read more

Introduction  Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the highly anticipated Big Data and AI World conference, an all-encompassing event that showcased the breadth and depth of the data industry. From the infrastructure backbone of data centers to the cutting-edge applications in machine learning (ML) and large language models (LLMs), the conference offered a comprehensive look at the current state and future directions of data technologies.  Highlights  The conference prominently featured a range of topics within the data pipeline, emphasizing well-established processes incl ..read more

A data maturity assessment, whether delivering the new Data Maturity Assessment for Government, or utilising Oakland’s own maturity assessment framework, is a great way to get a grip on your current data capabilities. It can highlight issues and create a case for change; however, it can often leave organisations wondering “what next?”. Whilst you might have identified areas of low maturity and capability gaps, you will now need to focus on defining and planning the required initiatives to drive the business forward, meet identified business needs and deliver long lasting capability. If you can ..read more

hould you use Data Lakehouse instead of a Data Warehouse and / or Data Lake?  Intro  When using your Data Platform to improve your Business Intelligence with useful dashboards and reports, you’ll more than likely want to use a Data Warehouse. Add on your data science builds, and storing your raw data cheaply, plus adding a Data Lake just for good measure, and the costs soon start to add up. Running both in tandem on a Data Platform can have serious costs and maintenance associated.   So, can you have the best of both worlds with the Data Lakehouse? And what is the best ..read more

Imagine being a shopper in a store, where every aisle is filled with items and multiple choices. As you stroll through the store looking at the items on the shelves, the ‘unwritten’ rule of purchase pops into your mind. If something doesn’t offer value, it is likely to stay on the shelf and not make its way into your trolley. Now let’s extend this scenario beyond shopping and step into the shoes of an executive and a decision-maker in a business. Picture yourself, not just as a shopper but as a strategic buyer for the business. As you carefully assess items for their value, you also scrutinise ..read more

Have you been instructed to deliver a Data Maturity Assessment for Government (DMAG) but don’t know where to start? This blog will help you get stuck in.  In launching the DMAG, Megan Lee Devlin, the CEO of Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO), said, “Permanent Secretaries, Chief Digital and Information Officers, and Chief Data Officers across government have endorsed this important tool and committed to using it in a core part of their organisation within the first year.”  The expectation from the Cabinet Office is for wide adoption across the public sector. However, the DMAG ..read more

“Build Versus Buy” is More a Scale of Options than a Binary Decision As consultants, we’ve been involved in helping our clients to decide which is the best software to invest in (or not invest in some cases). This is quite a responsibility as we are putting our reputation in the hands of a vendor, and we know that tech vendors are amazing at making claims. We see it in every trade show we attend. Therefore, it can be impossible to verify all the features of every product. From our experience, this can be difficult to get right. So here are a few lessons in buying software (or not) to avoid mak ..read more

What is the purpose of a company’s data strategy? Data: it’s the best of times and the worst of times. Over the last two decades, there’s been a huge surge in interest, innovation, and investment in big data. It’s hard to find a company that doesn’t want to be more data-driven or a CEO who isn’t interested. Data professionals have never been in higher demand, and new ideas, technologies, and career paths are hitting the market at warp speed. Sounds amazing, doesn’t it? But remember: the data industry is really good at gloss. The reality for most companies is very different. The chasm between t ..read more

“In the boardroom, one fact remains constant: data is the lynchpin of contemporary business. How many organisations can genuinely claim to have fully operationalised their data assets, though? If your data strategy still resides on the periphery of business operations, rather than being its driving force, you’re in good company.” writes ChatGPT – How wonderful that even AI calls for cleaner data!  The New Horizon: Generative AI as a Strategic Asset  Generative AI isn’t just another buzzword to add to your corporate vocabulary—it’s at the forefront of intelligent decision-making. You ..read more

This can seem like a rhetorical question: you should always invest in Data Quality! But we are still not investing enough: surveys show Data Quality issues are increasing in most organisations and on average, take up 34% of a Data Engineers time instead of them creating value by adding new features. This increases to 50% in large Data Platforms. All these Data Quality issues add up, with bad Data Quality costing organisations on average $15mil a year. Data Quality investment is also an investment in high-quality AI and ML, as you’ll likely get more accurate AI and ML result ..read more