21 Monday Sep 2026
Posted in data hub, Data Lake, data management, data mesh
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Continue reading“Tired of chasing data silver bullets? It’s time to stop worshipping the hype, dismantle the buzzwords, and build data architectures that actually work.”
25 Tuesday Aug 2026
Pip: Good Strategy Rebellion — where the sacred cows of enterprise tech get a proper going-over. Today we’re deep in the data wars, asking whether the industry’s favourite architectural revolution is actually a revolution, or just the same old chaos in a new lanyard.
Mara: Martyn Jones has been writing about exactly that — covering the case against Data Mesh, what it means for how organisations actually govern and use their data, and why the rational data warehouse keeps refusing to stay dead.
Pip: Let’s start with the bonfire.
Continue reading24 Monday Aug 2026
Pip: Good Strategy Rebellion — where the sacred cows of Silicon Valley come to be skewered, preferably with footnotes.
Mara: Today we’re in the territory Martyn Jones has been carving out: a full-scale critique of data architecture hype, the case against fashionable frameworks, and a defence of the unglamorous systems that actually work.
Pip: Coherence over chaos, basically. Let’s start with the bonfire.
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.
03 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
12 Monday Jan 2026
Posted in AI, All Data, Artificial Intelligence, blockchain, Cloud, data hub, Data Lake, IoT, machine learning
Martyn Rhisiart Jones
Brussels, 10th July 2019
Bandoxa, 12th January 2026
Imagine stepping onto a dimly lit stage, spotlight sharp, audience hushed. You lean into the mic and drop this line: “The key to success is sincerity.” Pause. Smile. “And if you can fake that… you’ve got it made.”
That’s George Burns, vaudeville legend, and cigar-chomping centenarian. He nails a truth that’s as old as show business. It is as fresh as today’s latest tech pitch deck.
Welcome to the strange, glittering world of information technology, where sincerity isn’t just optional—it’s optional and highly monetisable.
Continue reading21 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
19 Sunday Mar 2023
Narrator: Okay, where to begin? First, let us start with some real-life user stories. And for those who are unfamiliar with user stories, they are one of the most effective ways that business has of telling IT people what they want. Think of them as micro-stories that convey a problem, facets of the problem and potential ways to address those problems. Such as, “as a consumer of wine I would like to be able to add wine to fruit, ice and lemonade in order to create a refreshing summer drink”.
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.
16 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 reading12 Friday Jul 2019
Posted in AI, All Data, Artificial Intelligence, blockchain, Cloud, data hub, Data Lake, IoT, machine learning
Martyn Richard Jones
Brussels, 10th July 2019
As George Burns put it “the key to success is sincerity” and “if you can fake that you’ve got it made.”
He was right, and you don’t need to go any further than the bizarre world of information technology, with its plethora of professional bulllshit artists, to work this one out.
Think of these folk as IT bullshit whisperers.
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 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.
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 Sunday Jul 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, Inform, educate and entertain., pig data, The Amazing Big Data Challenge, The Big Data Contrarians
Afilonius Rex
Dunny on the Wold, 1st July 2017
The 4th big data bullshit is here, and it is completely reimagining the way we conceptualise, think and reason. This amazingly and imaginary Govesque world is driven by hyperbole and mendacity distributed via interconnected digital devices that are capable of amassing and fermenting ever-growing amounts of big data bullshit.
28 Sunday May 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, humour, Inform, educate and entertain., pig data, The Amazing Big Data Challenge, The Big Data Contrarians
Martyn Richard Jones
Talacharn, 28th May 2017
Folks! Here I bring you ten amazing tips from some of Big Data’s great and good. Tips that will help you become the Big Data Rock Star that you have always dreamed of being.
But first, a question.
What’s the sexiest job in the 21st century? Continue reading
18 Thursday May 2017
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, Good Strat, Good Strategy, Good Strategy Radio, goodstrat, Inform, educate and entertain., IT strategy, Marty does, Martyn does, Martyn Jones, Martyn Richard Jones, pig data, Strategy, The Amazing Big Data Challenge, The Big Data Contrarians
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Martyn Richard Jones
Laugharne 18th May 2017
I read a poster the other, it read “How To Turn Internal User Data Into Revenue”. It was one of those Facebook or LinkedIn hooks, you know, the ones used to get people to spend precious time on useless pursuits.
It reminded me of a book that my mother-in-law bought for my partner, many, many moons ago. “How to make a mint whilst you snooze”, or some such wacky title.
13 Saturday May 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, SMILES, TEAM, The Amazing Big Data Challenge, The Big Data Contrarians
This is the draft version of TEAM 0.1
The TEAM 2.0 version will be published in June 2017.
This will by far the best and most streamlined and comprehensive analytics and (big) data framework that has ever existed in the life-time of IT.
Many thanks for reading.
09 Tuesday May 2017
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
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Martyn Richard Jones
Dublin 9th May 2017
Weighed down with data?
Inundated with information?
Overstrained with knowledge?
Intimidated by wisdom?
Don’t despair!
Relief from all of this is just be around the corner, in the shape of the next revolutionary inflection point in IT. Yes, as you might have guessed it by now. I am talking about data-less apps. Continue reading
16 Sunday Apr 2017
Posted in advertising, 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., Marketing, pig data, Sales, The Amazing Big Data Challenge, The Big Data Contrarians
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Martyn Richard Jones
San Luis Obispo 16th April 2017
Taking a Pop at Traditional Data WarehousingPitch: I recently read a report from a data visualisation company on the “Top Ten Big Data Trends for 2017”. This is what they told me “Hadoop is no longer just a batch-processing platform for data-science use cases. It has become a multi-purpose engine for ad hoc analysis. It’s even being used for operational reporting on day-to-day workloads—the kind traditionally handled by data warehouses.” Continue reading
15 Saturday Apr 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., Marty does, Martyn does, Martyn Jones, Martyn Richard Jones, pig data, The Amazing Big Data Challenge, The Big Data Contrarians
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Martyn Jones
Madrid 25th January 2017
HERE’S A THOUGHT! In the past age of big iron, the only reason for not having a proliferation of duplicated databases was the prohibitively high cost of disk storage. Now, we can let our database collections grow ‘like Topsy’. This is the Brave New World of data… apparently…
Let’s, for one moment, be the fly-guy on the corporate wall. What are we picking up on the radar there, Enda? Oh, yes…