Steve Hoberman has been a long-time contributor to The Data Administration Newsletter (TDAN.com), including his The Book Look column since 2016, and his The Data Modeling Addict column years before that. Steve is a good friend and, he and his company – Technics Publications, are the publisher of my book, Non-Invasive Data Governance: The Path of Least Resistance and Greatest Success, as well as the ever-present DAMA International DMBOK.
For this column, Steve takes a quick look back at the past couple of years of data books produced by Steve and his company.
Take a look at the books. Lots of great reads here.
Data Storytelling for Data Management
Sometimes I like to read a book purely for pleasure, like a good Dan Brown or Stephen King novel, and sometimes I like to read a book to learn something new. There are not many books that I read for both pleasure and to learn new things. One exception is Telling Your Data Story: Data Storytelling for Data Management, by Scott Taylor.
“Good decisions made on bad data are just bad decisions you don’t know about…yet.” Starting with this opening sentence, all the way through to the last sentence in the book, I was captivated and kept on reading—learning and enjoying at the same time. … read more on TDAN.com.
To read my comments on this book on TDAN.com, click here
The CDO Journey
This column takes a look at a new book, The CDO Journey, by Peter Aiken, Todd Harbour, Kathy Walter, Ed Kelly, and Burt Walsh (Technics Publications 2020).
When I read a data book, my goal is to find at least ten important messages that can impact how I approach the topic. I hit my ten in The CDO Journey before the end of Chapter 2. I think this has to do somewhat with the relative newness of the Chief Data Officer (CDO) role, but more importantly, how this content is presented in the book.
The book was written by five authors, each with lots of experience in the field–probably combined easily over 100 years of experience in the data field. The book is not a how-to or a methodologies book–but rather a book on insights and advice from these five thought leaders. These best practices are presented in a very well-structured manner, where each chapter advances the reader in their knowledge of how to carry out the CDO role successfully. … read more on TDAN.com.
To read my comments on this book on TDAN.com, click here.
The Data Catalog
Like a lot of hype-related terms in IT, there is more than one definition. However, I had recently read the book, The Data Catalog: Sherlock Holmes Data Sleuthing for Analytics by Bonnie K. O’Neil and Lowell Fryman.
This book provided a very clear and objective definition.
In addition to explaining the data catalog and all of the features available in data catalogs, this book also covers the current state of the industry. … read more on TDAN.com.
To read my comments on this book on TDAN.com, click here.
The Rosedata Stone
My latest book, The Rosedata Stone, has very recently been released.
Similar to how the Rosetta Stone provided a communication tool across multiple languages, The Rosedata Stone provides project managers, data governance professionals, and business analysts with a set of business terms to allow consistent communication across all business languages. The Rosedata Stone, called the “business terms model,” formally documents a common business language for a particular business initiative. … read more on TDAN.com.
To read my comments on this book on TDAN.com, click here.
Continuous Innovation
Arent van ‘t Spijker’s first book, The New Oil, was an enlightening and enjoyable read about how data is changing the way our organizations need to operate. Arent’s second book, very recently released, is titled Continuous Innovation.
This newest release has maintained the high standard of being filled with valuable messages while also being very enjoyable to read.
This book focuses on how organizations need to innovate for both survival and growth. I like that it is not just a book on what organizations need to do, but it also includes a lot of content on how to innovate— including weaving innovation with strategy and culture. I love reading the many studies and the historical basis for innovation. I also find the stories very engaging, such as this story about the ups and downs at the Financial Times. … read more on TDAN.com.
To read my comments on this book on TDAN.com, click here.
LeadAbility
Dr. McNair is the primary author of the Ability series. The book RelateAbility will help you build better relationships, and AdaptAbility will help you better adjust to new conditions and situations. Wade’s latest book, LeadAbility: Transforming the Way We Live and Work Together, will help you become a better leader.
I like that LeadAbility is not your typical “how to lead better at work” book, but instead LeadAbility is about applicAbility :L) – leading in a wide range of situations including in our personal lives as well.
I also like the combination of practical techniques combined with academic and professional studies – a trademark of the Ability series. … read more on TDAN.com.
To read my comments on this book on TDAN.com, click here.
The Elephant in the Fridge
John Giles wrote The Nimble Elephant a number of years ago – it is a book about using existing data modeling patterns when working on agile teams. It’s an extremely practical book, yet also a very entertaining read due to John Giles’ sense of humor and captivating storytelling speckled throughout the pages. The Nimble Elephant is often one of the first books to sell out when we have bookstores at conferences.
The Elephant in the Fridge, John’s latest book which released earlier this month, has the same two ingredients of being both practical and entertaining. … read more on TDAN.com.
To read my comments on this book on TDAN.com, click here.
Navigating the Labyrinth
The Data Management Body of Knowledge (DMBOK2) is the most comprehensive and objective book on data management. Comparable to what the PMBOK does for project management and the BABOK for business analysis, DMBOK2 provides a detailed framework for organizations to manage their data and mature their information infrastructure. It is used to assess and improve data management practices and processes, and as a study guide for the Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP) program.
DMBOK2 is content-rich, and therefore a big book (over 600 pages), which is expected to educate IT practitioners. But what about for managers and leaders? If there is a need to understand the data management discipline at the same scope of DMBOK2 but not at the same depth, turn to Navigating the Labyrinth: An Executive Guide to Data Management by Laura Sebastian-Coleman, written for DAMA International. Paperback-sized for reading on a plane trip (or on the beach), at just over 200 pages, Navigating the Labyrinth contains 12 chapters. … read more in TDAN.com.
To read my comments on this book on TDAN.com, click here:
Publisher’s Note: Thank you, Steve, for your many years of contributions to the pages of TDAN.com. I am looking forward to publishing your materials on the pages of TDAN.com for some time to come. Thank you, for publishing my book and thanks for your tremendous contributions to the data management industry.
