Why Businesses Need a Search Party to Find Relevant Data

Published: Sep 9, 2015
Updated: May 12, 2021
1 minute read

Why Businesses Need a Search Party to Find Relevant Data

Why Businesses Need a Search Party to Find Relevant Data

Why Businesses Need a Search Party to Find Relevant Data

The growing reams of data from a variety of sources is creating major challenges when using analytics tools designed to uncover value in that data.

Critical Component

Critical Component

88% of survey respondents said data analytics is important to their organization’s decisions and processes, with 31% describing analytics as “extremely important.”

Primary Role

Primary Role

More than three out of five said business managers are at least somewhat dependent on their IT managers, data scientists, data managers and other analytics pros.

Lukewarm Impression

Lukewarm Impression

40% said they’re only “moderately” satisfied with these IT pros’ efforts. Less than 2% say they’re “extremely” satisfied.

Distributed Data

Distributed Data

64% use at least five data sources for operational decision-making, and 31% use 10 or more.

Growth Source

Growth Source

77% expect the number of data sources to increase over the next two years, and 29% expect the number of sources to increase “substantially.”

Top Data Tools: Digital Relic

Top Data Tools: Digital Relic

92% said their organization still uses spreadsheets (such as Excel) for data analysis.

Top Data Tools: DIY

Top Data Tools: DIY

52% use analytics tools developed in-house.

Top Data Tools: Analytics Assist

Top Data Tools: Analytics Assist

49% use tools from third parties.

Top Data Tools: Customer Profile

Top Data Tools: Customer Profile

43% use consumer databases.

Top Data Tools: Search Party

Top Data Tools: Search Party

37% use low-level SQL queries

Top Data Tools: Off-Premise

Top Data Tools: Off-Premise

30% use cloud-based analytics tools.

Dennis McCafferty

Dennis McCafferty

Content Writer

Dennis McCafferty, a writer for eWeek, Baseline and CIO Insight, has more than 20 years of experience as a writer. He has covered a variety of technology and business topics for a number of publications, including those of Ziff Davis. Dennis was also an editorial staffer for USA Weekend, the nation’s second-largest magazine, with more than 22 million readers.

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