If you have any doubts about the data flood that is covering the globe, here are a few amazing stats. Around the world, in just one minute…

When I received the email notice from the TDWI Dallas Chapter about an upcoming Big Data event, I was interested. The meeting was at 8:00 a.m. on a Friday, the traffic wouldn’t be ideal, but it sounded like this might be a good opportunity.

Why would it be a good opportunity? Bill Inmon was in town!

Business Intelligence guru, analyst and author, Wayne Eckerson, and I had great times when we worked together at The Data Warehousing Institute (TDWI). Although we have both moved on to other ventures, we remain in touch and I still like reading his books and articles.

I particularly enjoyed the first chapter of his most recent book, Secrets of Analytical Leaders: Insights from Information Insiders, where he talks about the concept of “purple people.” But before I explain that, read this concept from Wayne in his book.

In both consumer and business technology discussions, we hear a lot about the cloud these days. So what does “cloud” mean within the context of things like Big Data, Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing?

When we talk about data strategies and cloud technology, there are some basic service categories and deployment models that need to be defined and understood. Here’s a quick look at those categories and models—plus an interesting look at the market itself and where it’s going as predicted by the experts.

Have you ever wondered how it would feel to stand on the top step of an Olympic podium, lean over and have a gold medal placed around your neck? You not only have family, friends and coaches cheering you on, you have a whole nation behind you. It must be an overwhelming moment. While few ever have that opportunity, you can be the go-to champion in your organization. How can that happen?

Like most of you, I work in the corporate world. I’ve been around long enough to be part of good teams and bad teams. I have also had the opportunity to build teams. Building a team is challenging and a lot of hard work. Being on a bad team is a stressful nightmare. Building a bad team is, well, a long story. If you did it once, you’re probably no longer with that company. With most companies, you are either a player or you are a coach (boss). If you’re self-employed that can be the most challenging—because you’re both.

I am also a big football fan. High school, college, professional, fantasy—I like all of it. I never played on the field myself but I love watching a great game at any level. As the season winds down at this time of year, I always get a little sad that it will be eight months before I get to watch my favorite teams again.

Starting in the late 1970’s and continuing throughout the decade of the 1980’s, one of my favorite football coaches was Bill Walsh.

The success of any company is becoming more and more dependent on unlocking the value of data and turning it into trusted information for critical decision making. The ability to deliver the right information at the right time and in the right context is crucial. Today, organizations are bursting with data, yet most executives would agree they need to improve how they leverage information to prevent multiple versions of the truth, improve trust and control and respond quickly to change.

If you are an IBM customer, it is very likely you have received some level of education about IBM’s Information Management solutions platform, which includes IBM’s Big Data strategy.

In the early 1990’s I was working for a small software company in Seattle that developed mainframe database performance monitors. One day it was announced that we were being acquired by a much larger company. It was the first time in my career I had faced an acquisition and the horror stories I heard from co-workers were unsettling to say the least.

To be honest, the entire experience turned out to be relatively uneventful and even positive. I was able to work with great people who taught me a lot. I clearly remember one afternoon when my new boss chatted with me informally at a corporate retreat and simply asked, “Do you consider yourself a manager or a leader?”

Think about that for just a minute and ask yourself how you would answer that question.

As a much younger writer and marketing guy watching the database technology boom of the 80’s and 90’s, I was fascinated with the advent of the data warehouse surge that started about twenty years ago. I saw it coming and watched it bloom. The promise of a “sandbox of meaningful data” for quicker and easier use by line of business managers was exciting.

On September 5, 2013, industry expert Charles Yorek, presented an outstanding webinar on the topic of “Achieving Success with Mobile BI.” The slides from that presentation are available for you to download and you can also see the entire recorded webinar.