Rick Sherman

April 27, 2017
Business intelligence and data cleaning

The life-changing magic of tidying up your data

If your data is a mess, what are you waiting for? Like many other companies, maybe yours has been ignoring a lot of the things that […]
March 23, 2017
Resources for BI instructors

Resources for Business Intelligence Instructors

I’m a professor in my “spare” time, so I know how hard it is to find the time to create course materials. We have several resources […]
July 18, 2016

Enabling Self-Service Analytics

Please join me for my TDWI presentation. When: July 20th, 2016.  3:30 pm – 4:15 pm Where: TDWI Accellerate, Boston, The Westin Copy Place Registration and details Enabling […]
June 29, 2016

Be prepared for data preparation

Are you ready for how long it takes to do data preparation? Data preparation processes are the lion’s share of the work of any DW or […]
May 31, 2016

Selecting the right data integration tool for your needs

As the need to pull together the growing volumes of data that’s generated and collected by organizations has increased, several types of data integration software have […]
May 24, 2016

How to evaluate the features of a data integration product

Selecting the right data integration product is critical to meeting the increasing demand in companies for data that can help drive more informed business decisions. The […]
May 17, 2016

How to justify the purchase of a data integration tool

The growing importance of business intelligence and data analytics applications in driving business decision making has made data integration’s vital role in the enterprise crystal clear. […]
May 11, 2016

Data integration platforms take users beyond ETL software

Whether we’re discussing the impact that the tsunami of big data is having on organizations or the cloud application takeover of traditional on-premises applications, the common […]
April 12, 2016

Enterprise Data World 2016 – San Diego

The 20th annual Enterprise Data World (EDW) Conference is recognized as the most comprehensive educational conference on data management in the world. Rick Sherman will be conducing […]
September 30, 2015

Five Great Ways to Really Mess Up Your Data Warehouse During Loading

Your data warehouse is only as good as the data you load into it. But the data-loading process can be tricky, and there are ample opportunities […]
September 24, 2015

Book excerpt: Why a BI environment needs a solid architecture framework

In this book excerpt published on SearchBusinessAnalytics.com, I write about why taking a siloed approach to creating a BI architecture framework leads to problems. The excerpt […]
September 22, 2015

Which BI analytics tool does my company need?

In this article I wrote for SearchDataManagement.com, I explain how before selecting a BI analytics tool, you should create BI use cases and then match those […]
September 15, 2015

Comparing BI analytics tools from the leading vendors

In this article I wrote for SearchDataManagement.com, I explain that deciding which BI analytics tool to buy shouldn’t be based on the product with the most features […]
September 15, 2015

How to evaluate and select the right BI analytics tool

In this article I wrote for SearchDataManagement.com, I offer advice for organizations trying to settle on BI analytics tools: Figure out which features are must-haves, versus nice-to-haves. There […]
September 15, 2015

Business use cases can determine the right BI analytics tool

In this article I wrote for SearchDataManagement.com, I discuss how before selecting a BI analytics tool, you should create BI use cases and then match those […]
September 15, 2015

Understanding BI analytics tools and their benefits

In this article I wrote for SearchDataManagement.com, I discuss how business intelligence analytics tools can leverage data and convert it to actionable information that can benefit […]
September 9, 2015

Relational database design tips to boost performance

In this article that I wrote for SearchDataManagement.com, I discuss the fact that as relational database management systems handle more and more data, a strategic approach […]
September 3, 2015

Join us for the Boston TDWI meeting Sept 15

The Boston-based TDWI chapter is excited to present Mark Madsen, a thought-after speaker on all things BI, as our headline speaker for the September TDWI Boston meeting. […]
September 1, 2015

Data virtualization tools move into strategic IT realm

I was recently interviewed by SearchCIO.com to discuss how data virtualization technology is moving into the strategic realm for CIOs, why this is happening, and the […]
June 23, 2015

A Revolutionary Approach to Modernizing the Data Warehouse

Please join me — I'll be speaking at this webinar on Thursday June 25, 4:00 ET. Details: Hot Technologies with Dr. Robin Bloor, Rick Sherman and […]
May 11, 2015

Data Summit 2015 – NYC

I’m speaking at Data Summit 2015 on Tuesday May 12 in New York. If you’re attending, please come to my session and say hello! B102: Creating […]
April 2, 2015

Data Visualization and the New York Times

The New York Times article “Learning to See Data ”  discusses novel ways of gleaning valuable insights from the deluge of data by presenting it visually. […]
March 30, 2015

Data – Spreads like Kudzu, but Smells like a Rose

note: don’t miss the link below to download a chapter of the BI Guidebook – From Data Integration to Analytics on Reed Elsivier’s SciTech Connect blog. […]
February 17, 2015

Operational BI process puts better business practices within reach

A new interview with me on TechTarget: As organizations increasingly look to use data analytics to help drive their business operations, accelerate decision making and improve […]
February 5, 2015

Upcoming TDWI Speakers in Boston

The other TDWI Boston chapter officers and I hope you will be able to carve out some time and attend one or more of our chapter […]
January 29, 2015

BI & Analytic Trends of 2015 – Best Business Value – Storyboarding becomes best practice for BI design

This is the second in the series of posts on best business value. 2)  Storyboarding becomes best practice for BI design Typically BI applications are designed […]
January 28, 2015

BI & Analytic Trends for Business Value

As mentioned in my post BI & Analytic Trends of 2015 – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, while the hyped industry trends get all […]
January 9, 2015

BI & Analytic Trends of 2015 – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

It’s the time of year when analysts, consultants, vendors and industry pundits publish their predictions on the trends that they feel will have significant impact on […]
December 24, 2014

Santa’s List from a BI Consultant

I’ ve written several times to Santa while I have been working in the BI industry. Previously from a BI director’s, DW manager’s and enterprise data modeler’s […]
December 5, 2014

Exaggerated Rumors? Will We Finally Put ETL to REST?

Join me for a DM Radio broadcast: Exaggerated Rumors? Will We Finally Put ETL to REST? When: December 11, 2014, 03:00PM ET Register The pervasive practice […]
October 1, 2014

Is the term “big data” meaningless?

Reposted from SearchDataManagement. View the video. What constitutes big data is often a matter of individual choice. Different people have different ideas about what it is […]
September 29, 2014

TDWI Boston Oct 2: Data Governance Best Practices & Data Science Career Advice

Data governance is not always a necessary evil. In a lot of cases a well designed data governance program can provide critical support in the area […]
September 17, 2014

Big Data is not the only game in town

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was […]
September 15, 2014

Hadoop projects should start with real business need

Hadoop is big with big data vendors — and some users, particularly Internet companies looking to collect and store large amounts of Web data. But in […]
August 19, 2014

The Shadow Knows! The Pros and Cons of Shadow Systems

DM Radio, Thursday August 21 3:00 EST When business pros can’t get the functionality they really want from IT, they often go rogue. That’s where shadow […]