DAMA International Salutes TDAN.com on it’s 7th Anniversary Written by Larry Dziedzic – DAMA International
I recall the startup of TDAN.com very clearly; I was a board member of DAMA New Jersey then. It was, I thought, such a great idea to have an online journal and forum dedicated to all areas of data
administration and management. Today, I believe that TDAN.com plays just as an important role in keeping both the novice and the experienced informed.
The seventh anniversary is obviously a tribute to the success that TDAN.com has come to know over the years. Bob Seiner deserves all the accolades due TDAN.com for putting in the time and effort to
make it work. Including a little “urging” email to have an article written for the anniversary edition. I don’t know where he gets the time from his busy schedule to do all the things he does.
As President of DAMA International I realize that TDAN.com is very complimentary and valuable extension to the goals and objectives of DAMA International. That is, promoting discussion on all types
of data related topics, the answering of questions that many others have thought but never daring to write them out formally. There are updates on books and conferences and yes, there is even
information about job availability.
But I feel the most important aspect of TDAN.com is the promoting those areas of data management that are “the standard” (i.e. data repository, data standardization etc.). These are still very
critical to our professions success. There are new areas like data stewardship and business rules that have become very important to businesses over the last few years.
It occurs to me that TDAN.com has changed over the years in its scope, just at DAMA International has changed much of its scope due to business and technology changes. Failure to do so would
certainly either put both of us both out of business or would have significantly weakened the importance of both organizations to our communities.
Big deal you say! Just as TDAN.com readership has grown, so too has the DAMA International community. The number of chapters throughout the world has continually increased, as have those in the
U.S. DAMA International has also enjoyed growth in both the U.S. and European conferences that we co-sponsor. That growth was not because either TDAN.com or DAMA International has not listened to
our constituents but more accurately it is a direct correlation to the fact that both of us listen and both of us adjust to needs and changes.
Above I stated that TDAN.com is a complimentary and valuable extension for DAMA International. It should also be noted that Data Management Review also fills that role. Both Bob Seiner and DAMA
International have and have had articles in this journal over the years. Thus I feel that the data management community is one that is tightly connected and one that is complimentary in many ways,
but most importantly, we collectively support the continued evolution and growth of all activities related to data management.
I wish Bob and TDAN.com all the continued growth and success that has been sustained over the last 7 years. Congratulations.
Publisher’s Note: Thank you Larry, and DAMA International, for all of the good that you do.
