08 Wednesday Apr 2026
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Analytics, Behavioural Economics, Best principles, Big Data, Dogma, Economics, Financial, Goal Setting, Management, Marketing, Strategy
Martyn Rhisiart Jones
Madrid, miércoles 8 de abril 2026
Hola, soy Ricky Jonesy-Innit, jefe de Becci Boo Investments. La semana pasada nos despedimos de nuestro mejor operador de materias primas. Llevaba años trabajando con nosotros.
Continue reading11 Wednesday Feb 2026
Posted in Big Data, Consider this, Data Warehousing, Good Strat, hadoop, hdfs, Martyn Jones
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Analytics, Big Data, books, Data Mart, Data Warehouse, Data Warehousing, enterprise data warehousing, Good Strat, Good Strategy, google, Martyn Jones, Martyn Richard Jones, News, sports, technology
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.
Continue reading08 Sunday Feb 2026
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.
Continue reading07 Saturday Feb 2026
Posted 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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AI, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, bullshit, Business, c-suite, CEO, chatgpt, technology
Martyn Richard Jones
New York City, 18th January 2017
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.
04 Wednesday Feb 2026
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.
Continue reading03 Tuesday Feb 2026
Posted in All Data, Big Data, Big Data 7s, Big Data Analytics, dark data, data architecture, Data governance, data hub, Data Lake, data management, Data Mart, data mesh, data science, Data Supply Framework, Data Warehouse, Data Warehousing, Inform, educate and entertain., The Amazing Big Data Challenge
By Martyn Rhisiart Jones | Madrid, 3rd February 2026
In a landmark session at the Welsh Academy, Sir Afilonius Rex sat down with Martyn Rhisiart Jones. They aimed to dismantle our outdated obsession with “data management.” The verdict? The era of the digital fortress is dead. In its place, a new paradigm of Cognitive Liquidity and Data Autonomy is emerging, redefining how we integrate global knowledge.
Continue reading15 Thursday Jan 2026
Posted in All Data, Big Data, Big Data 7s, Big Data Analytics, dark data, data architecture, Data governance, Data Lake, data management, data science, Data Supply Framework, Data Warehouse, Data Warehousing, disinformation, governance, Inform, educate and entertain., information, Information Management, Information Supply Frameowrk, Information Supply Framework, pig data, The Amazing Big Data Challenge, The Big Data Contrarians
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AI, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, chancers, charlatans, chatgpt, flim-flam-sauce, grifters, grok, technology, writing
Bertxin Galestara and Sir Afilonius Rex, based on an opinion piece written by Marty Rhisiart Jones
Mountain View, 19th January 2017 – Bandoxa Thursday 15th January, 2026
“I’ve been accused of vulgarity. I say that’s bullshit.” – Mel Brooks
If you enjoy this piece or find it useful, then please consider joining The Big Data Contrarians on LinkedIn. Continue reading
21 Sunday Dec 2025
Posted in All Data, Big Data, Big Data 7s, Big Data Analytics, business strategy, dark data, data architecture, Data governance, Data Lake, data management, Data Mart, data science, Data Supply Framework, Data Warehouse, Data Warehousing, Good Strat, Good Strategy, Good Strategy Radio, goodstrat, Inform, educate and entertain., IT strategy, Martyn does, Martyn Jones, Martyn Richard Jones, pig data, Strategy, The Amazing Big Data Challenge, The Big Data Contrarians
10 Friday Dec 2021
Martyn Jones
10th December 2021
Martyn Jones is Chief Scientist and Information Architect at Cambriano Energy. For better or worse, he is known as the Big Data Contrarian. He is the author of the widely acclaimed eBook Laughing @ Big Data, available at amazon.com.
Tea with The Data Contrarian is a series of interviews around data and analytics.
Today, Martyn talks with the great Afilonius Rex on contemporary trends, fads, and fancies in data, analytics and more.
Continue reading05 Sunday Dec 2021
A few days ago, I published a blog piece that contained the following paragraphs:
I am quite a fan of many aspects that sit under the Data Mesh umbrella. However, when it comes to a proper fact-based understanding and analysis of the history, place and architecture (business, data and technical) of Data Warehousing the leading exponents of data mesh have it woefully wrong.
Therefore, the purpose of this blog article is to set the record straight.
However, it seems to be that denial and specious arguments, are the preferred weapons of choice, over simply and honestly engaging in a professional discourse about these concerns.
09 Tuesday Jun 2020
Posted in All Data, Big Data, Big Data Analytics, Data Mart, Data Warehousing
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Martyn Richard Jones
Oza dos Rios 9th June 2020
REMEMBER! BUY MY BOOK! LAUGHING@BIGDATA
The purpose of language is to communicate—usually the conveyance of meaning from one entity to another. The value of communication is based on the availability of timely, appropriate and adequate information. In this way, it is positive. But communication can also be used to manipulate, deceive and confuse.
Continue reading17 Sunday May 2020
Martyn Richard Jones
Bonn; Germany
LINK: Laugh at Big Data – download my ebook for free on 17th May.
Many people come up to me in the street and ask me what big-data is all about. It has happened to me so many times in the past that I am convinced that it might just happen to you as well. I know sort of thing, I read the big-data tea leaves. Nothing gets past me.
Continue reading16 Saturday May 2020
I wrote an article that took to task purveyors of the data lakehouse nonsense. It got plenty of positive reactions and quite a few negative opinions. But what surprised me the most were the number of people who had already swallowed their pitch. Hook, line and sinker.
So why did I bother to express my opinions on the subject?
Continue reading15 Friday May 2020
Here are the ten golden rules of belief for surefire big data success:
Continue reading14 Thursday May 2020
Posted in All Data, Big Data, Big Data Analytics, dark data, data architecture, Data governance, data hub, Data Lake, data management, Data Mart, data science, Data Supply Framework, Data Warehouse, Data Warehousing, European Union, Inform, educate and entertain., The Big Data Contrarians, The hidden wealth of nations
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REVEALING WEALTH: USING BIG DATA TO FIGHT TAX EVASION – MARTYN JONES
If anything, taxes for the lower and middle class and maybe even the upper-middle class should even probably be cut further. But I think that people at the high end – people like myself – should be paying a lot more in taxes. We have it better than we’ve ever had it.
Warren Buffett
Continue reading03 Wednesday Jul 2019
Posted in All Data, Big Data, Big Data 7s, Big Data Analytics, dark data, data architecture, Data governance, Data Lake, data management, Data Mart, data science, Data Supply Framework, Data Warehouse, Data Warehousing, Inform, educate and entertain., pig data, The Amazing Big Data Challenge, The Big Data Contrarians
Martyn Richard Jones
Our bloke in Brussels, 3rd July 2019
It’s a simple, timeless, human truth; data must adapt or die.
Read between the lines, the writing on the wall, the fat lady singing and the barking dogs at the gate.
Continue reading07 Friday Jun 2019
Brussels 7th June 2019
Martyn Richard Jones
By all accounts Hadoop is heading down the pan and bits of big data are not that far behind.
But should we rejoice?
Continue reading12 Sunday May 2019
Martyn Richard Jones
Brussels, 12th May 2019
It has recently been revealed that political campaigns are taking the unprecedented step of hiring the services of consulting companies that will assist them in reaching, convincing and influencing voters.
This is a scandalous abuse of power, privilege and technology.
Big Data and data science are being used on a massive scale to manipulate political elections, control voter behaviour and to undermine constitutional democracy and the rule of law. There is no doubt about this; I read it on the internet. Continue reading
11 Saturday May 2019
Posted in AI, All Data, Big Data, deep learning, Inform, educate and entertain.
Martyn Richard Jones
Bruxelles, 29th April 2019
In spite of or perhaps because of the many years I worked in artificial intelligence I believe that the current long-distance love affair with AI and what is also euphemistically termed ‘deep learning’ to be somewhat irrational in its exuberance.
In the eighties I was experimenting with automatic feature extraction, pattern recognition and parallel distributed processing (see Rumelhart and McClelland), which led me to adaptive neural networks.
As a result, my research and development in this field showed me that automatically mining nuggets of gold or automatically gaining real insight from data is not easy, far from stable and frequently not achievable. Interesting experiments, but frequently impractical in a business setting.
Continue reading28 Thursday Dec 2017
Posted in All Data, Big Data, Big Data Analytics, dark data, data architecture, Data governance, Data Lake, data management, Data Mart, data science, Data Supply Framework, Data Warehouse, Data Warehousing, Good Strat, Good Strategy, Good Strategy Radio, goodstrat, Inform, educate and entertain., Martyn does, Martyn Jones, Martyn Richard Jones
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Martyn Richard Jones
Gif sur Yvette, 27th December 2017
First, a thought.
Just because it’s there, it doesn’t mean it has to be done. Just because you can, it doesn’t mean that you should. Just because you believe you are right, doesn’t mean that you are not wrong.
12 Tuesday Dec 2017
Martyn Richard Jones
Gif sur Yvette, 12th December 2017
Just because it looks like a bunch of half-baked crap, based on some well shoddy ideas and made by a surfeit of half-arsed chancers, doesn’t mean that it is, does it…
Even though it is.
Sorry! But, I digress.
If the Hadoop ecosphere were a box of chocolates, it would come in fantastic packaging that would make the grandest of Belgian chocolatiers emerald green with envy.
07 Saturday Oct 2017
Martyn Richard Jones
Gif sur Yvette 7th October 2017
In my life, I have never seen such a destructive and mindless movement in data architecture and management as that which has been nurtured, groomed and promoted by those who labour relentlessly, perfidiously and insidiously to ensure the continued and simultaneously unbelievable relevance of disruptive corporate-terrorising Big Data bullshitters, venomous data-oil hucksters and PowerPoint enabled know-nothing digital-arseholes. Continue reading
07 Saturday Oct 2017
Posted in All Data, Big Data, Big Data 7s, Big Data Analytics, dark data, data architecture, Data governance, Data Lake, data management, Data Mart, 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, Gif sur Yvette 23rd September 2017
Hi, Friends. As always, it’s great to be able to engage with you again. I am writing to you from the splendorous, wooded and verdant French town of Gif sur Yvette, and I wanted to take this opportunity to address aspects of data for an audience beyond the interests of data management and architecture people.
There is confusion about some of the fundamental aspects of business data, and there shouldn’t. If we strip away all of the boloney, it’s a subject that is quite approachable. In short, ‘it is not rocket surgery’. Continue reading
02 Wednesday Aug 2017
Posted in All Data, Architecture, Big Data, Big Data Analytics, data architecture, Data governance, data management, Data Supply Framework, Data Warehouse, Data Warehousing, Good Strategy, Inform, educate and entertain., information, Information Management, Information Supply Framework, IT strategy, Knowledge, knowledge management, Marketing, Martyn Jones, Martyn Richard Jones, Sales, structured intellectual capital, wisdom
Martyn Jones
Zurich, Switzerland – 3rd August 2017
If anyone can turn data into knowledge then that person is me.
Let me explain.
I am a data architecture and management professional. For more than three decades I have been acquiring knowledge and experience in the design and delivery of effective data and solutions architectures for a wide range of projects and in a wide range of (mainly large global or regional) enterprise clients.
Therefore I think I can reasonably presume to have built up quite a good personal body of knowledge when it comes to applied data architecture and management.
As well as being a professional in the management and architecture of data, I have also considerable knowledge and experience in the areas of information management, artificial intelligence and knowledge management (structured intellectual capital).
So, what about turning data or information into knowledge? Continue reading
Martyn Rhisiart Jones