Big Data For Small Business For Dummies

Chapter 14

Ten Biggest Big Data Mistakes to Avoid

In This Chapter

Understanding the main big data blunders

Knowing how to dodge them

Making your big data journey as smooth as possible

As with any exciting new technology or business process, there is a danger of getting carried away, making costly errors or just getting so overwhelmed by the possibilities that you simply don’t know where to start. This chapter is about understanding the main big data mistakes that businesses often make – and just as importantly, how to avoid them.

Collecting Data on Everything

Some companies aim to collect as much data as possible, thinking that the more data they have, the more their business will benefit. That may be fine for big corporations like Google and Facebook that have the manpower and resources to collect, manage and analyse vast amounts of data. For the majority of businesses though, there is simply no point trying to collect everything – it’s stressful, expensive and ultimately unhelpful.

I’d argue that your focus should be as narrow as possible, not as wide as possible! The aim is to be really clear and specific about what data you need. Focus on finding the exact data that will ...