A guide to the strategic use of big data.

• Author: Ward, Dawn Garcia
• Position: Big Data at Work: Dispelling the Myths, Uncovering the Opportunities - Book review

Big Data @ Work: Dispelling the Myths, Uncovering the Opportunities by Thomas H. Davenport aims at and succeeds in setting the record straight regarding: 1) what big data really is; 2) why big data is important across many industries and business functions; and 3) how to capture the value of big data.

Davenport's writing style, his many real-life examples of the use of big data, and the fact that the target audience could come from just about any industry and business function are key to elevating this book from a technology how-to manual to a strategic business and planning guide. The writing is conversational, lighthearted, and, at times, humorous. He makes every attempt to engage a diverse cross-section of readers, from techies to laypersons.

What Big Data Is

Most readers have heard the term "big data," but many do not know what it really means. It is much more than just a very large amount of data. According to Davenport, big data is "data that is too big to fit on a single server, too unstructured to fit into a row-and-column database, or too continuously flowing to fit into a static data warehouse." Essentially, this means one thing--a new frontier of data to manage and analyze.

Why Big Data Is Important

Davenport argues that big data has the potential to bring value to a company in the form of cost reductions, better decision-making, and improvements in products and services. Moreover, he says, "[t]he primary value from big data comes not from the data in its raw form (no matter how big it is), but from the processing and analysis of it and the insights, products, and services that emerge from analytics."

Speaking, even theoretically, about the concept of capitalizing on big data is appealing, but what makes it even more appealing here is that Davenport has gone to great lengths to provide real-life examples of what companies are doing and plan to do to capitalize on big data.

For instance, GE plans to use big data to improve the efficiency of the 1,500 gas turbines it monitors. Even "a 1 percent improvement in efficiency of monitored turbines from software and network optimization, better dispatching of service, and improved gas/ power system harmonization" could result in fuel savings of $66 billion over the next 15 years, Davenport writes.

How to Succeed with Big Data

Not only does Davenport explain what big data is and why it is important, he explains where to start and what to do with big data in order to succeed. Chapters 3...