# The Data Hoarding Illness By:: [[Brian Heath]] 2023-04-06 Let's talk for a minute about data and what it isn't. It's not the answer to any question other than "What are the things you collect about events and systems for analysis." It's not going to save your business. It's not going to make you a better person. It won't even tell you what happened. Data is meaningless on its own. Humans give the data meaning. Humans are meaning generation machines, it's all we do all the time. Yet, we have gotten confused about data. Just as we give inanimate objects feelings and backstories, we think data has a life of its own. It doesn't, not by a long shot. As a result of mischaracterizing the nature of data and its purpose, we think solving problems is a two-step process: 1. Collect all the data. 2. Problem is solved. This is utterly and completely wrong - unless you are interested in collecting things to collect things. So, what is missing? The humans, the meaning, the purpose, and the progress. We make the data mean something and tell us something about the universe. So, stop all the data lake bullshit hype around getting all the data in one place will solve all your problems. If you embrace this, you are operating like an object hoarder with a mental illness. I'm talking about the reality TV shows that walk through the homes of mentally ill individuals who never throw anything away until their entire life is about keeping things they forgot they even had. Data hoarding is the same thing with much less dire individual consequences and challenges. However, it is great for those who sell data storage solutions. These companies want you to buy more, so the two-step process myth is great for their bottom line. The Big Data movement was like discovering oil in their backyard. The largest technology and consulting companies in the world make a lot, if not most, of their money from other businesses by perpetuating the two-step process myth. Here's an alternative process: 1. Figure out your problem. 2. Collect data about the problem. 3. Figure out what it all means. 4. Try to do something to solve it. There are a few more steps, but a lot more sanity. #### Related Items [[Data]] [[Problem Solving]] [[Meaning]] [[Purpose]] [[Progress]] [[Analytics]]