ISG Software Research Analyst Perspectives

Avoiding the Complexity and Cost of the Modern Data Stack

Posted by Matt Aslett on 19 December 2023

I recently discussed how fashion has a surprisingly significant role to play in the data market as various architectural approaches to data storage and processing take turns enjoying a phase in the limelight. Pendulum swing is a theory of fashion that describes the periodic movement of trends between two extremes, such as short and long hemlines or skinny and baggy/flared trousers. Pendulum swing... Read More

Topics: Analytics, Cloud Computing, Data Management, Data, Digital Technology, data operations, Analytics and Data, AI and Machine Learning

The Key Value of Database Simplicity

Posted by Matt Aslett on 15 November 2023

I have previously written about the functional evolution and emerging use cases for NoSQL databases, a category of non-relational databases that first emerged 15 or so years ago and are now well established as potential alternatives to relational databases. NoSQL is a term used to describe a variety of databases that fall into four primary functional categories: key-value stores, wide-column... Read More

Topics: Cloud Computing, Data, Digital Technology, data operations, Analytics and Data

Alteryx Uses Generative AI to Enhance Analytic Operations

Posted by David Menninger on 01 November 2023

Alteryx was founded in 1997 and initially focused on analyzing demographic and geographically organized data. In 2006, the company released its eponymous product that established its direction for what the product is today. In 2017, it went public in an IPO on the NYSE. At the time of the IPO, Alteryx was focusing much of its marketing efforts on the data preparation market, particularly to... Read More

Topics: business intelligence, Analytics, data operations, Analytic Operations, Analytics and Data, AI and Machine Learning

Vector Search and RAG Improve Trust in Generative AI

Posted by Matt Aslett on 31 October 2023

I previously discussed the trust and accuracy limitations of large language models, suggesting that data and analytics vendors provide guidance about potentially inaccurate results and the risks of creating a misplaced level of trust. In the months that have followed, we are seeing some clarity from these vendors about the approaches organizations can take to increase trust and accuracy when... Read More

Topics: Analytics, Business Intelligence, Data, Digital Technology, natural language processing, data operations, analytic data platforms, Analytics and Data

The Buyers Guide for Data Observability Classifies and Rates Vendors

Posted by Matt Aslett on 26 October 2023

I am happy to share insights gleaned from our latest Buyers Guide, an assessment of how well vendors’ offerings meet buyers’ requirements. The Ventana Research 2023 Data Observability Buyers Guide is the distillation of a year of market and product research by Ventana Research. Drawing on our Benchmark Research, we apply a structured methodology built on evaluation categories that reflect the... Read More

Topics: Data, data operations

Data Observability Buyers Guide: Market Observations

Posted by Matt Aslett on 25 October 2023

The 2023 Ventana Research Buyers Guide for Data Observability research enables me to provide observations about how the market has advanced. The need to monitor the pipelines and processes in data-processing and analytics environments has driven the emergence of a new category of software: data observability. Inspired by the observability platforms that provide an environment for monitoring... Read More

Topics: Data, data operations

The Buyers Guide for Data Orchestration Classifies and Rates Vendors

Posted by Matt Aslett on 24 October 2023

I am happy to share insights gleaned from our latest Buyers Guide, an assessment of how well vendors’ offerings meet buyers’ requirements. The Ventana Research 2023 Data Orchestration Buyers Guide is the distillation of a year of market and product research by Ventana Research. Drawing on our Benchmark Research, we apply a structured methodology built on evaluation categories that reflect the... Read More

Topics: Data, data operations

Data Orchestration Buyers Guide: Market Observations

Posted by Matt Aslett on 23 October 2023

The 2023 Ventana Research Buyers Guide for Data Orchestration research enables me to provide observations about how the market has advanced. Data orchestration is a concept that has been growing in popularity in the past five years amid the rise of DataOps, which describes more agile approaches to data integration and data management. Data orchestration provides the capabilities to automate and... Read More

Topics: Data, data operations

The Buyers Guide for Data Pipelines Classifies and Rates Vendors

Posted by Matt Aslett on 20 October 2023

I am happy to share insights gleaned from our latest Buyers Guide, an assessment of how well vendors’ offerings meet buyers’ requirements. The Ventana Research 2023 Data Pipelines Buyers Guide is the distillation of a year of market and product research by Ventana Research. Drawing on our Benchmark Research, we apply a structured methodology built on evaluation categories that reflect the... Read More

Topics: Data, data operations

Data Pipelines Buyers Guide: Market Observations

Posted by Matt Aslett on 19 October 2023

The 2023 Ventana Research Buyers Guide for Data Pipelines research enables me to provide observations about how the market has advanced. The development, testing and deployment of data pipelines is essential to generating intelligence from data. Just as a physical pipeline is used to transport water between turbines, generators and transformers in the generation of hydroelectric power, so data... Read More

Topics: Data, data operations

The Buyers Guide for DataOps Classifies and Rates Vendors

Posted by Matt Aslett on 18 October 2023

I am happy to share insights gleaned from our latest Buyers Guide, an assessment of how well vendors’ offerings meet buyers’ requirements. The Ventana Research 2023 DataOps Buyers Guide is the distillation of a year of market and product research by Ventana Research. Drawing on our Benchmark Research, we apply a structured methodology built on evaluation categories that reflect the real-world... Read More

Topics: Data, Data Ops, data operations

DataOps Buyers Guide: Market Observations

Posted by Matt Aslett on 16 October 2023

The 2023 Ventana Research Buyers Guide for DataOps research enables me to provide observations about how the market has advanced. Data Operations (DataOps) is a methodology focused on the delivery of agile business intelligence (BI) and data science through the automation and orchestration of data integration and processing pipelines, incorporating improved data reliability and integrity via data... Read More

Topics: Data, Data Ops, data operations

Cloudera Facilitates Versatility with Enterprise Data and AI

Posted by Matt Aslett on 03 October 2023

The data platforms market may appear to have little or nothing to do with haute couture, but it is one of the data sectors most strongly influenced by the fickle finger of fashion. In recent years, various architectural approaches to data storage and processing have enjoyed a phase in the limelight, including data warehouse, data mart, data hub, data lake, cloud data warehouse, object storage,... Read More

Topics: Cloud Computing, Data Governance, Data Management, Data, Digital Technology, data operations, Streaming Data Events, analytic data platforms, Analytics and Data, AI and Machine Learning

Generative AI Boosts Value Creation with Outcome-Led Data Integration

Posted by Matt Aslett on 27 September 2023

Despite a focus on being data-driven, many organizations find that data and analytics projects fail to deliver on expectations. These initiatives can underwhelm for many reasons, because success requires a delicate balance of people, processes, information and technology. Small deviations from perfection in any of those factors can send projects off the rails. For data projects, placing too much... Read More

Topics: Analytics, Business Intelligence, Data Management, Data, Digital Technology, data operations, AI and Machine Learning

Reversing the ETL Process Improves Data Operations

Posted by David Menninger on 19 September 2023

At one point, analytics and business intelligence were considered non-mission critical activities. One of the primary concerns in designing analytics systems was to ensure they didn’t interfere with or draw computing resources away from operational systems. But today, analytical systems are integral to many aspects of operations. More than 9 in 10 participants in our Analytics and Data Benchmark... Read More

Topics: Analytics, Business Intelligence, Data Management, Data, Digital Technology, data operations, Analytics and Data

Incorta Empowers Data Delivery and Analysis for Business

Posted by Matt Aslett on 07 September 2023

Organizations today have an ever-increasing appetite for platforms that improve the speed and efficiency of data analytics and business intelligence (BI). The ability to quickly process data enables organizations to make well-informed decisions in real time. This agile approach to data processing is crucial for staying ahead in today's competitive landscape. With the rising need for data-driven... Read More

Topics: Data Management, Data, data operations, analytic data platforms

Fivetran Automates Data Movement and Transformation

Posted by Matt Aslett on 29 June 2023

Despite best intentions, many organizations still struggle with some fundamental aspects of data processing and analytics. Taking data from operational applications and making it available for analysis is a first step, but data management remains a perennial challenge. Data movement and transformation difficulties can lead to delays and data quality problems that prevent organizations from... Read More

Topics: Cloud Computing, Data Management, Data, Digital Technology, data operations, Analytics and Data

How Data Observability and Data Quality Achieve Data Management

Posted by Matt Aslett on 27 June 2023

Maintaining data quality and trust is a perennial data management challenge, often preventing organizations from operating at the speed of business. Recent years have seen the emergence of data observability as a category of DataOps focused on monitoring the quality and reliability of data used for analytics and governance projects and associated data pipelines. There is clear overlap with data... Read More

Topics: Data Management, Data, data operations

CelerData Enables Real-Time Analytics for the Data Lakehouse

Posted by Matt Aslett on 21 June 2023

Organizations increasingly rely on real-time analytics to make informed decisions and stay competitive in today’s data-driven business landscape. As the complexity of data grows with the continuous addition of diverse sources, customers and workers alike expect real-time responsiveness. Accelerated query performance is crucial to process and extract valuable insights from data in a timely manner.... Read More

Topics: Data Management, Data, data operations, Streaming Data Events, analytic data platforms

SAP Datasphere Simplifies Management and Use of Distributed Data

Posted by Matt Aslett on 13 June 2023

Data fabric has grown in popularity as organizations struggle to manage data spread across multiple data centers, systems and applications. By providing a technology-driven approach to automating data management and governance across distributed environments, data fabric is attractive to organizations seeking to simplify and standardize data management. I assert that by 2025, more than 6 in 10... Read More

Topics: Cloud Computing, Data Management, Data, Digital Technology, data operations, analytic data platforms, Analytics and Data