Industry changes.
Tools change and they become better. Competitors add enhancements
and this forces the rest of the industry to adapt. One of the
platforms that have worked to continuously improve is Microsoft SQL Server.
If you look over the years at the roadmap for this tool, you will see a
robust platform that prior to 2008, you would have probably not appreciated.
Microsoft is now steering the industry. Check out Microsoft BI,
integration with SharePoint, etc. But this is not a blog about Microsoft,
it’s a blog about mindsets.
My boss here at my
current engagement is a strong advocate for the AS400. The industry has
walked around the AS400 and IBM. We have moved to other platforms.
Right? I mean the AS400 is old school, right. That's state of the
art 1988 tech, right? But it turns out that the AS400 is a stable
platform that still exist in many businesses today. They continue to
refine and get better and now they have the I Series. Great failover, great stack of redundancy,
security. I know what you're thinking. It's not cool, it’s not
new. What is your goal? Is it new tech or stable tech? But
this is not a blog about the AS400 either.
Don't pass over the
tools. Tableau is for data mining, correct? Qlik is for
dashboards, correct? Cognos is for reporting, correct? I think if
you look at Tableau, you will see that they have enhanced that tool to
collaborate. To share online. Publish a report online with the
click of a button.
Back in 2005, MS SharePoint
was a collaboration tool primarily used as a document repository. But
behind the scenes, you can create portals and web pages that envy others.
Think about this. Stop looking at how you used the tool at your
previous employer and start to think about how this tool can be used today by
my current employer. Look at price. Use your analysis experience
to look at tools in different ways. Find out if your bias are warranted
or not? Be open to new ways of doing things. Tunnel vision is
limiting to you and your company.
