From InformationWeek
By Jeff Bertolucci
Say no to data obsession and focus on the business problem you want to solve, says Berkeley data science professor.
Hey, what should we do with our data?
Perhaps you've heard, or asked, that question before. It's a common query these days, a byproduct of the growing interest — some may say obsession — with big data and data science.
Unfortunately, it's not the right question to ask, says Steve Weber, a professor at the University of California School of Information's data science program.
"A better question is: 'What do my customers really want and need and desire?' " Weber tells InformationWeek. "And then: 'What kind of data would I need to collect, and what would I need to do with it to help them?' "
Sounds like obvious stuff, Weber admits, but it's a pragmatic approach that big-data-obsessed organizations often overlook....