"Discovering The Unknown Unknowns" - Section 2 of 7: THE DATA LITERACY DRIVING SCHOOL (free excerpts)

 

This is the second part of the chapter titled “The Data Literacy Driving School”, from the book “The Data Garden And Other Data Allegories”.

______________________________

Discovering The Unknown Unknowns

The first thing your instructor talks you through is an overview of how everything works. To your relief, he doesn’t just ask you to start the engine straight away. He explains what things are, how they work, and key things to look out for when you get started. His explanations provide you with the framework of terminology that enable you to understand what he’s talking about when you get on the road and he’s instructing you on where to go.

There are a set of dials that are used to monitor how the car’s operating. The key ones tell you how much data fuel is in the tank, how many data revolutions the engine is making and what the car’s current data quality speed is. You learn that you need to keep checking these dials to monitor the performance of the car and to make sure you’re running it properly. You need to know if you’re about to run out of fuel; if the revs are too high or too low; and you need to keep an eye on the data speed so you don’t go too fast or too slow.

Next, you’re introduced to the data driving controls. The steering wheel enables you to direct the data car, pointing it down different data roads and up the insight alleys that you want to explore. Your data gear stick gives you control over the direction of the car and the gears in the engine, taking you up and down aggregation levels as your speed changes; and there are pedals that you use in combination with the gear stick to speed up or slow down. You also need to keep checking your mirrors to make sure you see other data cars to avoid collisions. The majority of data accidents are caused by other data cars with their own problems, which crash into other data cars that were absolutely fine before, scratching them up or bashing holes in them.

There are so many things to remember, and you’ve not even started the engine yet. Suddenly you have a newfound appreciation for the data taxi drivers. They may just provide a commodity service, but you’re also starting to see why understanding all these things might help you, even if you are just sat watching someone else drive. You’re going to be able to tell if they’re doing a good job or not. Are they checking their mirrors to keep you safe? Are they using their gears properly to run the car economically and get you places as efficiently as possible?

“Right,” says the instructor, “I think it’s time to give it a go for real. Make sure you’re in neutral and start the engine, just as I described, please.”

You take a breath and turn the ignition. The engine rumbles into life. Here we go…

______________________________


I hope you’ve enjoyed this excerpt. 


If you are interested in reading more, please do check the book out on Amazon:

  • The Data Garden on Amazon.CO.UK
  • The Data Garden on Amazon.COM

    • Thanks for reading!


    #data #datamanagement #datagovernance #dataquality #dataarchitecture #metadata #dataliteracy #allegories #metaphors #analogies #stories #storytelling 


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