(US & Canada) VIDEO | Raw Data Is a Vast Reservoir of Potential — NC Department of Health and Human Services - Systems Analyst/Team Lead

Dr. Joe Perez, Systems Analyst/Team Lead at the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, speaks with Bill Sullivan, VP and General Manager at Denodo in a video interview about making data actionable, opportunities and challenges in data management, and the crucial role of data analytics.

In his capacity as a global speaker, Perez advocates making data actionable, however it does not fall under the purview of his role as a senior systems analyst team leader. In his role, Perez manages a data warehouse.

As a data storyteller, he enjoys speaking about making data actionable by bringing it from concept to reality, from being in data-denial to being data-driven. Perez strives to make people look at data in a new light by reflecting on the five ‘L’s of data-driven decision-making:

1. Look

2. Link

3. Listen

4. Leverage

5. Learn

When asked about the biggest opportunities and challenges to data management and use, Perez highlights the dilemma people face while deciding between gut feeling and data. He maintains that leaders who have business acumen, great intuition, a long-range strategic view, and an operational view will taste the most success.

In continuation, Perez states that he would choose a business-savvy person over a brainiac because sometimes, it just takes common sense to get through and solve a problem. However, he believes in intuition that is powered by data and urges people to allow their instincts to be informed by data.

Maintaining that balance is a challenge, says Perez, because people go to extremes by trusting the instinct too much to ignore the data or vice versa. He implores people to take that as a challenge and maintain the balance to achieve all goals.

Moving forward, Perez quotes Data Scientist and author Jonas Jones who said, “Data is not information, data is not knowledge, data is potential.” Marking the author’s words, he believes that data in its raw form is a vast reservoir of potential wanting to be transformed into actionable insights.

Such insights drive innovation, enhance decision-making, and shape the future, says Perez. He considers data analytics as the science of extracting meaning from data to harness its power for positive impact.

Delving further, Perez opines that the role of data analytics will become increasingly crucial, and notes that data will no longer be an afterthought. He asserts that it is already a driving force between strategic decisions, operational efficiency, and customer-centric innovation.

According to Perez, in the data-driven future, the organizations and governments that harness the power of data and analytics are going to thrive, adapt, and lead the way. He suggests organizations ensure that the data is actionable by assessing if it helps make a decision, answer a question, or solve a problem.

Concluding, Perez advises analytics students to embrace the power of data and develop solid foundations in technical and business skills to become well-rounded analytics professionals.

CDO Magazine appreciates Dr. Joe Perez for sharing his data insights with our global community.