Author Archives: Martyn Jones

DATA WORLD: Friends! Romans! Countrymen! Big Data is not Data Warehousing – 2026/01/29

11 Wed Feb 2026

Posted by in Big Data, Consider this, Data Warehousing, Good Strat, hadoop, hdfs, Martyn Jones

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Martyn Rhisiart Jones

29th January 2026

Hold this thought: To paraphrase the great Bob Hoffman, just when you think that if the Big Data babblers were to generate one more ounce of bull**** the entire f****** solar system would explode, what do they do? Exceed expectations.

I am a mild mannered person. However, one thing that irks me is hearing variations on certain themes. These themes include phrases like “Data Warehousing is Big Data.” Another is “Big data is in many ways an evolution of data warehousing.” Lastly, some say “with Big Data you no longer need a Data Warehouse.”

Big Data is not Data Warehousing. It is not the evolution of Data Warehousing. It is also not a sensible and coherent alternative to Data Warehousing. No matter what certain vendors will put in their marketing brochures or stick up their noses.

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DATA WORLD: Fixing the Data Warehouse – 2026/02/10

10 Tue Feb 2026

Posted by in Inform, educate and entertain.

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Martyn Rhisiart Jones

Zamora, Tuesday 10th February 2026

What to say?

I was reading an article. It was written by Jeff Wilts and recommended by Bill Inmon. I got to this statement: “Teradata is a full-featured enterprise data warehouse.”  For me, it went further downhill from there.

It was very disheartening and deceptive. I decided to write an article about my thoughts on it. (Understanding the Data Warehouse Dilemma – 2026/02/07, https://goodstrat.com/2026/02/06/understanding-the-data-warehouse-dilemma-2026-02-07/).

As a result, many people approached me. They asked directly and indirectly if I would suggest ways and means to overcome or avoid those dilemmas.

This is the result.

Enjoy! But even better, let me know what you think.

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DATA WORLD: The Risks of Using Databricks for Data Warehousing

09 Mon Feb 2026

Posted by in Inform, educate and entertain.

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Get that Databricks Out of My Face!

Martyn Rhisiart Jones

Madrid, Monday 9th February 2026

You need not loathe Databricks outright. It is perfectly defensible if you do. This is particularly true when your principal objective is classical data warehousing. This includes structured BI reporting, dependable SQL analytics, and a governed single source of truth for business metrics. It also entails semantic clarity and predictable costs for read-heavy workloads.

There are solid, well-trodden reasons for that caveat. Many experienced data warehousing practitioners see Databricks as an awkward or even risky primary platform for traditional warehousing. This view is shared by some of the field’s foundational figures. The concern is not ideological. It is architectural. When used as a warehouse, Databricks often reproduces exactly the pathologies criticised in enterprise data programs. These include unnecessary complexity, misdirected effort, and the perennial executive question, “Which number should I trust?”

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DATA WORLD: Big Data With Bigger Smiles – The Chef’s Choice – 2026/01/28

08 Sun Feb 2026

Posted by in Big Data, Big Data Analytics, Business Intelligence, Cambriano, Data Supply Framework, Martyn Jones, Martyn Richard Jones, Methodology, Process, SMILES, Strategy, Uncategorized

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Martyn Rhisiart Jones, Madrid 28th January 2026

I would like to introduce you to a pragmatic approach to Big Data and Big Data Analytics. It is real-world focused and business-centric. This is the best approach to Big Data you are ever likely to find. Yet, I am still significantly understating the magnificent utility. It is also timely and has all the pertinent facets of the approach.

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CEO BRIEFING: Agile at Scale is Bullshit by Design – Remastered and Revisited – 2026/01/27

07 Sat Feb 2026

Posted by in agile, agile@scale, All Data, Architecture, Assets, awareness, behaviour, business strategy, Creativity, Dogma, IT strategy, Strategy, structured intellectual capital, Value

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Martyn Rhisiart Jones

Bruxelles, 28th May 2019

To begin at the beginning

To paraphrase the great Bob Hoffman. Just when you feared that Agile evangelists might produce even more nonsense, they surprise you. What do they do? Exceed expectations.

And how did they do that? Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to Agile at Scale. It comes with all the miscellaneous, spiced-up, and vainglorious crap-on-the-side that accompanies it.

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CEO BRIEFING: What Every CEO Needs to Know About Big Data – Revisited – 2026/01/26

07 Sat Feb 2026

Posted by in All Data, Big Data, Big Data 7s, Big Data Analytics, business, Business Intelligence, business strategy, dark data, data architecture, Data governance, Data Lake, data management, data science, Data Supply Framework, Data Warehouse, Data Warehousing, Inform, educate and entertain., pig data, The Amazing Big Data Challenge, The Big Data Contrarians

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Martyn Richard Jones

New York City, 18th January 2017

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Blue sky for professional data architecture and management

Scope

I’ll make this short, sweetish and to the point.

These are the arguments that CEOs need to know about Big Data.

It was written for CEOs and those who provide independent advice to CEOs.

If you are someone who wants to be prepared for CEOs who are armed with the realities of Big Data, then maybe this is for you too.

Point One: Big Data is bullshit

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IT’S POLITICS: The Madness of Brexit – Retrospective- 2026/01/25

07 Sat Feb 2026

Posted by in Brexit, Condiser this, Culture, Economics, Europe, European Union, Inform, educate and entertain., Philosophy, Politics, Social, Trade

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MADMartyn Jones

Carmarthen, Wales – 31st July 2017 

Many Brexiteers take a simplistic, restricted and shallow view of how the UK will leave the European Union.

It’s to be expected.

Some people are both wilfully ignorant and certain of their beliefs, even though their beliefs are no better than reactionary and rationalised prejudice, socialised absurdity and tidy-minded incongruence.

It’s to be expected. Continue reading →

MADMartyn Jones

Carmarthen, Wales – 31st July 2017 

Many Brexiteers take a simplistic, restricted and shallow view of how the UK will leave the European Union.

It’s to be expected.

Some people are both wilfully ignorant and certain of their beliefs, even though their beliefs are no better than reactionary and rationalised prejudice, socialised absurdity and tidy-minded incongruence.

It’s to be expected. Continue reading →

DATA WORLD: Understanding the Data Warehouse Dilemma – 2026/02/07

06 Fri Feb 2026

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Martyn Rhisiart Jones

Madrid, Saturday 7th February 2026

Books from Martyn Rhisiart Jones https://www.amazon.es/stores/author/B086K5B97Y

What to say?

I was reading an article. It was written by Jeff Wilts and recommended by Bill Inmon. I got to this statement: “Teradata is a full-featured enterprise data warehouse.”  For me, it went further downhill from there.

But this was the coup de grace: “Databricks is a unified data platform that can behave like a data warehouse.” 

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UNIVAC: Predicting Elections and Defining Computing History – 2026/02/06

05 Thu Feb 2026

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Martyn Rhisiart Jones

Madrid, Thursday 5th February 2026

Anecdotes about UNIVAC and the early days of computing

UNIVAC and the Eisenhower Prediction

One of the most famous anecdotes involving UNIVAC was its prediction of the outcome of the 1952 U.S. presidential election between Dwight D. Eisenhower and Adlai Stevenson. As the first computer used for commercial purposes, UNIVAC was tasked with predicting the election results. On live television, UNIVAC correctly predicted Eisenhower’s victory, despite widespread scepticism about the machine’s accuracy.

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DATA WORLD: Big data’s unvirtuous circus and twelve v-words – Refresh – 2026/02/05

04 Wed Feb 2026

Posted by in agile, Big Data, Big Data 7s, Big Data Analytics, Inform, educate and entertain., The Amazing Big Data Challenge, The Big Data Contrarians

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Martyn Rhisiart Jones

Bonn, Germany, 2014

Many people come up to me in the street and ask me what big-data is all about. I have experienced this numerous times before. I am sure it might just happen to you as well. I know sort of thing, I read the big-data tea leaves. Nothing gets past me.

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