SAS: Data quality, data governance concerns impede big data programmes

Only 12% of information management professionals are doing big data, according to a recent survey. 

Analytics firm SAS and SourceMedia surveyed 339 data management professionals about their organisations' use of data management technology in December 2012, discovering reality still lags behind hype.

Nor does take-up in the near future look better. Just 14% of respondents said  their organisations were "very likely" to use external big data in 2014, while 19% responded "not likely at all". 

Respondents expressed concerns about data quality and accuracy, accessing the right data, reconciling disparate data, lack of organisational view into data, timeliness, compliance and security.

When asked what they want from data software, the top responses were data visualisation and dashboards (73%), data profiling (53%), and software as a service (44%).

The survey of information management professionals failed to find consensus on who owns data management strategy. Respondents ranged from mid-level IT personnel up to the C-level.

The most common reasons for the 78% disdaining big data were:

• 21% don't know enough about big data.
• 15% don't understand the benefits.
• 9% lack business support.
• 9% lack data quality in existing systems.

"The 12% of organisations that are already planning around big data enjoy a significant competitive advantage,” said Todd Wright, global product marketing manager for SASDataFluxData Quality, in a statement.