Know-All Knowledge in Computers

Thanks to the proliferation of computers into everything from the Microwave to the corporate board-room, everyone and anyone believe and claim to be computer experts! CIOs are often confronted with Know-all mindset of the populace in their scope of interaction. Dealing with the double-edged knife like situation from the versatile and proliferating knowledge and (mis) understanding about computers, databases, Information Systems etc. is a challenge to the CIO.

This curious faced young visitor at my home was in his 7^th grade. His father an Computer Science Graduate engineer was deliberating with me on the know-all issues. I did a small experiment.

Q. What is a Tau Transform and what is a database?  I asked both the father and son.

Both didn’t know much of Tau Transform except the engineer recollecting that in the 6^th semester signal processing course there was some mention of it.

Both had an answer for what a database is.  Both were right to some extent. There is probably no single English knowing educated person, who claims lack of knowledge or understanding of the term ‘database’.

Here is an example of excessive visibility of a term (database) giving a level of familiarity leading to sense of understanding. It is very valuable for CIO and at the same time very dangerous for his work.

There are far fewer people who developed and are working on Tau Transform. Say, a hundred or so world-wide. In contrast from the initial work of Codd (1979), who formulated the relational model of data-structures laying foundation to database architectures, which drives the vast Information System space, there are few hundred-thousand professionals working on this simple all-familiar term – ‘database’. The intricacy, detail and complexity in databases are deeper than those of Tau transform.

Yet, all of us know databases! How? In which context? To what extent?

Just anyone who can use MS-Excel knows databases and has a definition and opinion on it. This exuberance has led to complete clouding of what the database is and what are required to do it right. Consequence is the hugely wasted efforts and misnomers on the strength of organization’s database. Improper, Incomplete, Inadequate, Inefficient, and Ineffective databases are a bane and the reason why the companies (teams or groups) are unable to leverage the new computing techniques. Facebook, Twitter, You-Tube etc. are examples where the database is well designed KISS (Keeping It Simple and Serviceable) leading to the transformational collaboration facility.

Database is not a uniformly understood and addressed term. For the “Knowing”, it is an intricate Entity-Relationship model and Normalized description of the business’ data. For the “All-Knowing” (Could be even your CIO, CFO, CEO, CxO, President, VP, or just anyone else who matter) it is all pervading equivalent of a mobile-phone. Great to use, Nothing to Learn, Costing as little as $50!

CIO meets many such cases of conflict between Knowing:All-Knowing. It could be system security, RAM requirements, Backup architecture, Application needs, Standard Nomenclature, Cluster Architecture etc. for a Head IT. Aggravated by Bing, Google and Others, CIO often stands in same position as a experienced physician confronted with Googled Patient holding latest R&D details, completely interpreted out-of-context or out-of-relevance!

CIO is responsible to bring correct, complete and competent solutions with proper understanding for Information maturity.

• Failed CIO is a failed database of the company.
• Failed database is the failed Knowedge Mangement.
• Failed KM is the business risk of 21st century.

What is a database? Try to answer this before reading further and grasping the CIO’s thoughts. I will take it further as an addendum to this post! It was hilarious to note reputed organization sites misrepresenting this popular term.