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New year. Fresh coffee. Big dreams. 2025 was a blur of ideas, learning curves, late nights and ‘we’re really doing this’ moments. We built, refined, laughed (a lot) and created something that finally feels like us. Now 2026 is here and it’s all about believing in the vision we’ve built - pushing the big ideas, backing ourselves and creating work that helps people make sense of their data. Still the same us. Just bolder, brighter and a little more sure of where we're heading.

Creating Dayta Darta has been the best move ever. It's been three months of building, refining, learning and pouring everything that feels true - our core values, crazy ideas, beautiful design, purposeful insight - into something that finally fits. There's a special kind of energy that comes from doing work that aligns with who you are. The late nights, the coffee-fuelled strategy chats, the colour palettes, the 'Ah-ha' moments - all of it feels like home. As we round out 202

My chocolate advent calendar has been teaching me more about data than I expected. Day : I forgot (data latency) Day 2: Two chocolates in one day (batch processing) Day 7: Couldn’t find the number (poor data labelling) Day 14: Someone else ate it (data breach) Day 18: Still empty (clearly an integrity issue) By the time I hit Christmas Eve, I realised the same thing applies to dashboards: the insights only work if you open them daily the process matters as much as the treat a

Every Christmas, we all become accidental data analysts. We forecast gift demand: “Will the kids still like Bluey next week?” We model supply chain risk: “Will the prawns sell out by Christmas Eve?” We predict capacity: “How many chairs do we actually  need this year?” And we optimise resources: “If the oven’s at 180 °C, can the potatoes and turkey share space and how long for?”. Christmas runs on data but most of us are still working off gut feel, last year’s patterns or fam

Every Christmas is a data story in disguise... The presents under the tree.  The shopping lists, delivery times and stock forecasts that made them possible. The weather data that predicted the seafood rush or the perfect barbecue day. The subtle patterns behind it all: What we value, who we spend time with and how we measure a good day. That’s what data really is - layers. Each one reveals something deeper about how we live, what we care about and how we can make things bette

When the data is fragmented, the organisation hesitates. When the data is unified, it accelerates. It's that simple. We recently helped a sales team that was drowning in reports but still couldn’t see a complete picture. The moment their data came together, the noise disappeared. They could see where sales were landing, where attention was needed and which opportunities were actually worth chasing. The return wasn't in the technology. It was in sharper decisions, better timin

It's the time of year when everyone's chasing metrics and mince pies in equal measure. Even Santa's deep in the data: reviewing behaviour, recalculating KPIs, and segmenting his naughty-and-nice list. Imagine the data behind that dashboard, behaviour tracking, sentiment analysis and real-time updates every time someone says sorry. It’s funny but familiar. Most organisations have their own version of the naughty-and-nice list: too many metrics, too much noise, not enough meani

If you’ve ever managed a data project, or a toddler, you’ll be familiar with this: no matter how clear your plan, chaos will  find a way in. You set rules, you build structure, you try to predict what might break and still, something spills, crashes, or suddenly stops working for no obvious reason. That’s not failure - it’s life! The trick isn’t eliminating the chaos; it’s learning to dance with it . Both parenting and data projects demand the same three things: Patience - Be

Let’s talk automation, metadata and AI in operations. Data now moves through organisations like an unseen current and AI is starting to shape it as it goes - tagging it, cleaning it, organising it, explaining it. The pipes are getting smarter. As DataOps and MLOps blend into more automated loops, the focus is shifting. It’s no longer just about control or access. It’s about context - where data comes from, why it changes and what it means in practice. The mechanics are speedi

Took my son to the dentist this week - just a routine check-up. Whilst sat there trying to understand what my son was saying to me with the dentists tools in his mouth it struck me how quietly (unlike my son) advanced dentistry has become. Behind the friendly chat and the rinse and spit, there’s a lot of data at work. AI now helps dentists read x-rays faster and spot decay earlier. Predictive tools flag who’s most likely to miss appointments or develop issues down the track.

Whenever we ask a new client what’s wrong with their data, the answers are nearly always the same. “Our data’s vast.”
 ”Our data’s messy.”
 ”Our data’s hidden.”
 “Our dashboards aren’t readable.”
 “Our dashboards aren’t meaningful.” And they’re not wrong.
But they’re also not talking about the problem. They’re describing the symptoms. When you zoom out Most organisations know something’s not working - but they’re not sure what to fix first.
So they zero in on what’s most visi

If your data could measure kindness, would it show up in your dashboards? Or in the way your team speaks to each other after a tough day? Not everything worth tracking fits neatly in a KPI. Some metrics live in tone, trust and time given freely. We always have a choice #WorldKindnessDay #BeKind #DataCulture #UnblahTheData

Sometimes, data isn't about numbers at all. It's about noticing patterns that quietly matter. In one of our past projects, I worked with data that showed where tragic events had happened - "incidents" - moments when people made a choice they might not have made on another day. What that data revealed was simple, but powerful: a tiny change in design - a barrier, a fence, an extra step - could make a difference. A small checkpoint between impulse and action. Data doesn’t save

A POC isn’t about showing off a tool - it’s about proving technical feasibility.
 It answers “Can we do this?” A POV goes further.
It proves business value - that the solution actually makes a difference.
It answers “Should we do this?” We build quick, focused prototypes that turn strategy into substance, where vision meets reality and a few weeks of effort unlock months of clarity. Because when you move from concept to confidence, that’s when transformation really begins. If

Growing up in England, early November meant Bonfire Night, fireworks, sparklers, cold air and big bonfires. These days in Australia, I miss the fireworks… but not the cold. What fascinates me is how fireworks have evolved. Many shows are now fully automated - synchronised by software or replaced by drone swarms painting light in the sky. Precision, beauty and data in motion. It’s a perfect metaphor for analytics and AI - when everything connects, the result isn’t chaos, it’s

I t’s Melbourne Cup Day, a national moment where stats, stories and a bit of superstition all line up at the starting gates. My father-in-law, Jack, loved the races. He had an uncanny knack for reading a form guide, spotting patterns others missed, seeing logic where most saw luck. I think about that a lot in my line of work. Because great data work isn't just about numbers, it's about context, instinct and timing. It's about knowing when the data tells a story worth backing.

This Movember, let's talk data with purpose. Men's health is more than a moustache - it’s about checking in, showing up and staying aware. Who could you reach out to today? #Movember #MensHealth #DataForGood #UnblahTheData

Most orgs are haunted by hidden data - old systems, disconnected reports and insights that never quite come to life. But imagine if we lit up the shadows. For example, Australians spend over $450 million on Halloween each year, yet many large retailers still plan stock based on last year's patterns. Some are now using AI forecasting that factors in events, weather and promotions - predicting local demand more accurately and avoiding the ghost of empty shelves (and wasted stoc

Tools like Tableau, Looker and Power BI sparked the movement, helping us see the data. Now the focus is on scale and coherence, with platforms like Microsoft Fabric, Databricks and Snowflake turning connected data into real capability. For years, we’ve helped teams stitch together reports, models and data sources, chasing that elusive ‘single source of truth.’ Now, the momentum is real. As platforms evolve, they’re giving us new ways to simplify, align and design data that ac

Not every organisation is stuck. Some already trust their numbers, nurture curiosity and know what data can unlock. They're not asking why data? - they're asking how do we go further, faster, smarter? That's where consultancy evolves. It's not a rescue mission - it's a light. The conversations shift, people start connecting dots, they see the story in the data and they want more of it. At Dayta Darta, we love being part of the data journey, where trust is built, curiosity thr