Category Archives: Inform, educate and entertain.

A general blog post category.

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

05 Thu Feb 2026

Posted by in Inform, educate and entertain.

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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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MASTERCLASS: What Are Surrogate Keys? – 2026/02/04

04 Wed Feb 2026

Posted by in data mesh, data science, Data Supply Framework, Data Warehouse, Data Warehousing, Inform, educate and entertain., information, Information Supply Framework, Knowledge, knowledge management, Martyn Jones, Masterclass

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Martyn Rhisiart Jones, Madrid, 4th February 2026.

Introduction

In data modelling and database design, keys play a fundamental role in uniquely identifying records and defining relationships between tables. One of the most widely used types of keys, especially in analytical systems and data warehouses, is the surrogate key.

A surrogate key is an artificial, system-generated identifier assigned to a record in a table. It is typically used as the primary key. It has no business meaning or semantic relationship to the real-world entity it represents. Common implementations include auto-incrementing integers or globally unique identifiers (GUIDs).

Surrogate keys exist purely to serve the needs of the database system: performance, stability, and simplicity.

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DATA WORLD: The Future of Data: Embracing Cognitive Liquidity- 2026/02/03

03 Tue Feb 2026

Posted by in All Data, Big Data, Big Data 7s, Big Data Analytics, dark data, 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

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The End of the Fortress: Why the Future of Data is “Liquid”

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.

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MASTERCLASS: Ask the Data, Information and Knowledge Expert

03 Tue Feb 2026

Posted by in data mesh, data science, Data Supply Framework, Data Warehouse, Data Warehousing, Inform, educate and entertain., information, Information Supply Framework, Knowledge, knowledge management, Martyn Jones, Masterclass

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Masterclass: Here’s Martyn!

Martyn Rhisiart Jones and the Goodstrat editorial team, Madrid, 3rd February 2026

Introduction

The following is the redacted transcript of a conversation between the distinguished Sir Afilonius Rex of Cambriano Energy and the cordial Martyn Rhisiart Jones of goodstrat.com.

The informal session took place before an invited audience at the Welsh Academy’s alternative summer conference of July 2023 and featured a lively question-and-answer session with audience input.

According to our reliable sources, “The BBC, RTE and RTVE broadcast the session.”

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DATA WORLD: Requirements – Building the Data Warehouse – Part I

30 Fri Jan 2026

Posted by in Inform, educate and entertain.

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The Good Strat Masterclasses

Masterclass Mode Engaged

Martyn Rhisiart Jones

Madrid, Sunday 1st February 2026

PART I

PART II

Happy Sunday to one and all. As many of you will know, I have been intimately involved in designing, building, and delivering data warehousing and advanced analytics initiatives for more than 35 years.

Today, I will take a deep dive into requirements gathering for a new iteration of an enterprise data warehouse and a new data mart.

Establishing a case for a new data warehouse iteration is part of the requirements-gathering phase of a project. This must always be at the forefront of the exercise and a continuous question we must ask ourselves. We must always consider the answer to the question “To what ends?”

First, before diving into the core aspects of the iteration, we will examine the legitimate drivers and objectives for data warehouse initiatives. The prerequisite skills, knowledge, and experience needed to carry out this activity successfully, and, after that, we will look at the preparation required to align the personal, business, and technological effectiveness and success of the initiative.

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CONSIDER THIS: Five Laws Everyone Should Know – 2026/01/24

24 Sat Jan 2026

Posted by in Ask Martyn, humour, Inform, educate and entertain., IT Circus, Polemic, Stories, Strategy

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Martyn Rhisiart Jones

Madrid, 24th January 2026

Introduction

These are five common goodstrat laws that everyone should be aware of.

“Martyn Rhisiart Jones… Writes dry, merciless takedowns of data/AI/strategy hype at goodstrat.com.

Believes most corporate decks deserve the bin and most buzzwords deserve worse.

Occasionally drops canon: the Martyn Rhisiart Jones Effect, GoodStrat Law, Celtic Domination Principle, Georgie Lovering Razor, Valley Commando Principle…

Mostly here to remind everyone that clarity still cuts deeper than PowerPoint.”

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