Wednesday, April 26, 2006

1:15 pm - 2:15 pm

Level: Advanced

(Why the Lack of Leadership is Diminishing the Data Management Profession)

• Data Administration.
• Data Architecture.
• Data Management.
• Data Management Association.
• Data Processing.
• Data Quality.

What do all of these things have in common? Their first name is “Data”, yet all are being “re-branded” with the first name of “Information”. Isn’t that a good thing? After all, isn’t Information (data in context) that which our organizations want and need? In a word, No. Our organizations want “wisdom” – which comes from the application of experience to knowledge. We get knowledge from information in context. We get information from data in context. Data is the raw material. Information, and even knowledge, are downstream “improved” products of Data. If Data is not defined and managed properly, the downstream products are suspect. Therefore, our organizations need quality data.

This presentation will discuss the dilution of data management, both by the focus on Information over Data, and by the fracturing of the profession into special interest groups, such as Information Quality, Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing. It will discuss:

• How we are our own worst enemies.
• Why the profession is under attack by both developers and accountants.
• Other threats, such as outsourcing and off-shoring.
• Leadership characteristics that are required to balance data management against other factors.

Most importantly, it will identify what you can do about it to strengthen yourself and the profession.

Dan Paolini is the State of New Jersey's Director of Data Management Services and first Information Architect. Before returning to State employment, he co-founded and led a successful database consulting and training firm for six years. He has also served as the Chief Technology Officer for a public school district and for a State educational institution. He has presented eight keynotes and more than fifty technical papers at more than twenty conferences in North America and Europe on many diverse topics. Dan was a contributing editor for a monthly database magazine for three years as well as the technical editor for three database books.

Dan is the Vice President for Standards for the DAMA International Foundation. He also serves as a moderator for the Data Architecture Professional Group.

Dan has served more than thirty years as a volunteer firefighter, recently retiring as chief of his fire department. He has been honored several times for rescues and service. In his spare time he writes music and teaches Sunday School.