Big Data continues to be ambiguous to many that researchers and experts continue to refine and update what it is.   A recent research paper by Machina Research gives another spin – 5S of Big Data.

The first four dimensions to characterize big data are variations of the 3Vs or 5Vs.  Significance is a dimension which caught my attention, since from my experience the relative value or importance of disparate data sources  vary significantly across types of business decisions – long-term versus short-term versus real-time, reactive versus proactive, marketing versus operational, human versus machine, strategic versus tactical, predictive versus causal, and business model shift versus continuous improvement.

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The debate continues on how to define Big Data, while from my vantage point the discussion should center on the business value of data and  as an aid to improve the speed and quality of practical business decisions.  My mantra:

Ask not what it is.  Ask what it can do for you.