What Is Data Democratization: A Definitive Guide!

What Is Data Democratization

Data democratization is an unsung hero powering the success of hundreds of today’s top businesses. 

Businesses that handle it correctly get benefits in all facets of their operations, from better customer experiences to increased revenue and a stronger bottom line. The top Google results for “What is data democratization” talk about “access to data” as the essential component of data democratization. 

However, simply providing access to data whether it be in the form of raw data in a data warehouse, lovely visualizations inside a tool for product analytics, or business intelligence is undoubtedly not data democratization.

Let’s define it, discuss the benefits and drawbacks of data democratization, and discuss the technological innovation that has occurred to assist this initiative.

Definition of Data Democratization

Data democratization is the ongoing process of allowing everyone in an organization, regardless of their level of technical expertise, the ability to work with data in a comfortable manner, to feel confident discussing it. The data democratization process makes decisions based on data and creates customer experiences that are powered by data.

In order for individuals to use the data to speed up decision-making and identify opportunities for an organization, it is necessary to provide quick access to the data along with an easy manner for them to interpret it. The objective is for anybody to use data at any moment to make judgments without comprehension or access restrictions. 

What Are the Purposes of Data Democratization?

What Is Data Democratization

Data democratization has a number of effects, all of which boost a company’s productivity, earnings, and success. Data democratization has several uses for various positions or divisions inside a company. 

Here are some examples of data democratization will be discussed below. 

Marketing

To more cost-effectively reach their target demographic, marketing teams test various campaigns as well as variations on the language and graphics used in those ads using data.

Sales

Data is used by sales representatives to swiftly assess the value and progress of various possibilities in their pipeline.

Human Resources (HR)

Managers and recruiters can utilize data to categorize and evaluate the large number of resumes they receive, as well as swiftly discover and communicate with potential applicants.

Research & Development (R&D)

Data can be used by innovation teams to determine which features or advantages are most in demand, and then they can modify the product and conduct the product management process to meet consumer demands.

Customer Service & Support

Support teams use data to swiftly assess the facts about a customer to deliver superior service, whether they are assisting a customer over the phone or in person. 

When support can rapidly (and properly) access customer data, including past activity or purchases, to gain a big-picture understanding of what’s truly going on, it makes all the difference.

Executive Leadership

The C-suite can use data to swiftly gain a comprehensive understanding of the company and identify the strategic projects that are yielding the highest return on investment.

4 Effective Strategies That Help to Conduct Data Democratization

A proactive approach to get both technical and non-technical users ready to access and evaluate data for the benefit of the company is known as a data democratization strategy. 

Here, you will get the 4 effective strategies to conduct the process of data democratization. So, let’s start. 

Data Discovery

The time it takes to move from an idea to action will be shortened by making data discovery easier. Data should be simple to find and request access for users across the enterprise. 

Everyone also should be able to see the table names and any contextual information, at the very least. Diverse users may locate data fast with the use of a modern data catalog with a Google-like search, easy filters, and a data profile. 

Data Exploration

Users can start answering questions utilizing data by themselves with the aid of both code-based and no-code tools for data exploration. 

This relieves data scientists and engineers of the responsibility of basic data investigation and reporting.

For instance, Uber provided their staff with simple-to-use data exploration tools, enabling them to successfully discover, explore, and apply data.

Data Experimentation

Only engineers and data scientists are able to employ the most cutting-edge data tools. But what if they were accessible to data beginners? 

Business users can experiment with data and generate fresh insights and concepts by giving them access to the newest data superpowers.

For instance, business users can construct dashboards and localized solutions using Airbnb’s advanced data training that data scientists would never have had the time to develop. 

Ad hoc requests were down by 50% for data scientists, and 80% of skilled team members frequently used data tools.

Data Automation

By eliminating human data work, data automation may make data easier for everyone. Organizations should give teams the tools they need to automate reporting procedures and eliminate boring manual labor. 

To automatically identify data or suggest glossary terms, AI bots can be employed. Monitoring and troubleshooting took up a lot less time than they used to.

For instance, when Airbnb began using Airflow to automate its data workflows, employee productivity and passion for working with data increased significantly. 

Challenges That May Be Faced for Data

Why does democratizing data matter so much to businesses? Making it a reality requires a significant financial investment; training personnel, putting tools into place, and managing change is not simple tasks.

At its foundation, data democratization aims to address the everyday data problems that people encounter. Even the greatest data teams struggle to meet the demands of multiple teams because of the rate of change in the data landscape and people’s wants.

People working in product teams across a variety of industries, at businesses with between ten and one thousand workers, participated in a recent poll by Mixpanel.

Understanding the good, the bad, and the ugly about the connection between product teams and, well, data, was the aim of the poll. If you want to read the whole thing, you can find it here.

I spend a lot of time socializing in networks and interacting with non-data people, especially product and growth experts from around the world who work for businesses of all sizes.

The following succinctly describes the most prevalent data difficulties that users encounter:

  • I can’t get the information I need.
  • The data are not reliable.
  • I have access to data, but I lack the knowledge to identify solutions to problems
  • The analytics software that my company offers is not intended for product teams
  • My company’s data professionals are too busy to assist me right now

It is safe to believe that data democratization at your company needs development if any of the aforementioned claims are regarded as accurate by your employees.

Why Is Data Democratization Important?

When combined with data, information becomes even more potent. Data democratization has increased access to knowledge, resulting in a population that is better informed.

The democratization of data has a significant worldwide influence. It encourages accountability and openness while also assisting people in making better judgments. Advanced technologies like machine learning, artificial intelligence, and predictive analytics are also a result of it.

This is significant because it encourages discussion and critical thinking. Additionally, it guarantees that data-driven judgments are based on reliable information rather than hearsay or false information.

Pros of Data Democratization

  • Improved Cooperation: While different teams and departments use the same “language” when discussing data, business issues can be resolved more quickly and effectively. Teams communicate better and produce more innovation when everyone is data literate. Numerous fresh, data-driven viewpoints foster more original and varied problem-solving.
  • Saved time. Employees have more time to devote to more crucial projects because of a decrease in the amount of physical labor needed to collect and distribute data.
  • Data is more trustworthy: Everyone who wants access to data can rapidly get the most precise and up-to-date information by using the appropriate tools.
  • Save Cash: Although data democratization necessitates an initial investment (typically in tools, technology, and change management), it eventually increases company efficiency.
  • More decision-making based on data. It is simpler to direct corporate efforts in the proper directions and support strategic initiatives as a result of data democratization.

Cons of Data Democratization

Data democratization does create certain questions about data ethics, data misuse, and compliance, even though it is ultimately more advantageous than not. The main issues with data democratization are as follows:

  • Possibility of data misuse: Many organizations store private and sensitive information in their systems. Depending on the organization, this information may include a person’s home location, financial history, medical history, and more. Since this information is private, it must be handled morally. People throughout the firm may access this sensitive material and use it any way they pleased with little monitoring and no access controls.
  • Fears about data security: IT frequently acts as the data gatekeeper for an organization. By doing this, a “system of checks and balances” is established to guarantee that the data is always used appropriately. Without IT playing this role, other users could be able to access data and expose it to security risks.
  • Compliance issues: Regulations like the GDPR and CCPA prevent the improper use of personal data. The likelihood of someone exploiting the data in a non-compliant way increases if everyone in the firm has access to it. Regulatory fines and penalties may result from this.

Concluding Words!

Any business that democratizes data must have a solid governance structure in place to guarantee that the data is handled with care. Everyone in the company has to receive comprehensive training on how to use data to best support projects and advancement. 

Expect that data democratization is a process that evolves, with each incremental success that non-technical users achieve by gaining insight from the data adding up to ultimately demonstrate the benefits of data democratization.