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

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

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

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.

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