Think fast

10 Strategies for Simplified Data Management

Businesses today deal with larger, more complex data sets than at any point in history. Obviously, this brings huge benefits. At the same time, it introduces swathes of new challenges. These include inefficiencies, unnecessary risks, poor oversight, and a whole host of other problems. One approach to solving this problem is simplifying data management. See, the problem isn’t so much the data itself, it’s how we build processes and operations around it.

Ronan McQuillan

Sep 29, 2023

What is a Transactional Database?

Transactional databases are some of the most foundational and ubiquitous tools around. In fact, for countless IT teams, this is the default model for data storage. But, in recent years, the size, scale, and complexity of businesses’ data assets have exploded. In turn, it’s become more important than ever to choose the right data management tools for specific applications and use cases. This means that we need to have a realistic, clear grasp of the respective pros, cons, and core tenets of different models - including transactional systems.

Ronan McQuillan

Sep 29, 2023

What are Database Connections?

Database connections are some of the most fundamental aspects of any development, data, or digital transformation project. But despite this, they don’t really get all that much attention. Obviously, this is a pretty major oversight. See, how you manage different tools’ and solutions’ connections to your data assets has a direct impact on everything from internal development experiences and project costs to database performance and the quality of your eventual solutions.

Ronan McQuillan

Sep 5, 2023

CRUD vs REST | What’s the Difference?

Wrapping your head around CRUD vs REST means getting to grips with some of the most fundamental concepts of modern application development. However, when we talk about this - we’re not exactly comparing like with like. Unfortunately, this is where a lot of confusion arises. See, REST and CRUD are two acronyms that relate to how we access and manage data. But, they differ greatly in terms of what they actually refer to and how they apply.

Ronan McQuillan

Aug 29, 2023

What is Unstructured Data Management?

Managing unstructured data is becoming an increasingly important challenge for companies of all sizes. See, the types of information that business store - and the way they handle it - has changed massively over the past couple of decades. A huge part of this has been the simultaneous rise of big data, NoSQL, and cloud storage solutions. In sum, this means that there’s a greater need for unstructured data management than ever before.

Ronan McQuillan

Aug 3, 2023

Top 10 Data Transformation Tools

Selecting the right data transformation tools is a critical decision - with far-reaching consequences. Nowadays, the idea that data is your business’s most valuable asset is a bit of a cliche. The real challenge is getting this data in the hands of the right people, with the right tools, in a usable form. This is especially tricky in a context where we’re increasingly dealing with diverse, varied, and large-scale data sets.

Ronan McQuillan

Jul 21, 2023

ACID vs BASE Databases

Data has never been so fundamental to the success of your business - but nowadays we have more options than ever for how we store and manage information. Today we’re checking out two of the most common approaches, by examining ACID vs BASE databases. See, we’re always constrained by some core computer science principles. Specifically, there’s an inherent tradeoff between availability, consistency, and partition tolerance. No database system can guarantee all three.

Ronan McQuillan

Jul 7, 2023

Data Entry Automation | 5-Step Guide

Data entry is one of the most accessible routes to major efficiency savings. See, data entry is about the most repetitive, menial admin task there is. Despite this - it’s also one of the most common admin processes in all kinds of organizations. In a lot of cases, if you have colleagues entering data manually all day, it’s indicative of a bigger problem with your data ops. At least, it’s rare that manual data entry is the optimal solution - except in very specific, limited situations.

Ronan McQuillan

Jun 12, 2023