Gate # 8: Database Systems and Structure

Yes data! Lots of it and everywhere! Those valuable (and some not so) little bits of information that just seem to be floating around in the atmosphere. Our digital economy produces data. Email, a website address, a bookmark, a word document, a photo, an excel spreadsheet (all 5 versions). Data is the bi-product of all things digital that remain as a trail of information to the customers and potential customers.

How you organize and manage data is the difference between an interruption and an opportunity. Finding the information again when you need it can be a very difficult and expensive process Say nothing of the down-right frustration. This process of not being able to locate the information when you need it is called 'fugitive information', meaning, 'information that is not available within the time and resource constraints of the moment'.

What data we accept and how we store and retrieve it when we need it, is quite possibly the most serious issue facing a business today.