Learn how to lose
“Winning is great, sure, but if you are really going to do something in life, the secret is learning how to lose. Nobody goes undefeated all the time. If you can pick up after a crushing defeat, and go on to win again, you are going to be a champion someday.” - Wilma Rudolph, Olympic champion
And here's the thing about data management. Your data (to some extent) always has errors. And chances are good, your system doesn't do everything you think it should. It's even possible it doesn't do what your vendor promised it would do!
There is always going to be some disappointment, some challenge, some "loss." What matters, as Rudolph so eloquently states, is how we respond to those challenges.
If you really want to be successful managing your data, acknowledge all that is or can go wrong, and work through it.
Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives
Data doesn’t need to be perfect to be useful
Data doesn’t need to be perfect to be useful “Your data doesn’t have to be […]
Don’t just clean data, clean reports and queries
Don’t just clean data, clean reports and queries One of the reasons I exhort my […]
Don’t forget, your staff have day jobs…
Don’t forget, your staff have day jobs… The vast majority of my work is finite […]
Beware the automated “How did we do?” trap!
Beware the automated “How did we do?” trap! One of the downsides of technology is […]
Hindsight is 20/20
Hindsight is 20/20 I’m currently working with a client that is moving from their legacy […]
Cheaper now; costlier later.
Cheaper now; costlier later. Most of my clients are very cost-conscious, understandably. After all, who […]
The unified shopping cart: Dreams vs. reality
The unified shopping cart: Dreams vs. reality One of the more common requests I hear […]
Don’t forget to celebrate!
Don’t forget to celebrate! Truth be told, I’m not a big celebrator. (Maybe it’s because […]
Three thoughts on duplicate records
Three thoughts on duplicate records Duplicate records are a reality in any database of any size, […]
Please don’t do this…
Please don’t do this… I’ve noticed a trend among online retailers that I want to […]