DJ Patil (former U.S. Chief Data Scientist) defines data products as “a product that facilitates an end goal through the use of data.” I’ve described data products as turning analytics inside-out to deliver value to your customers. But the question we most often get is: How are data products different from the customer reporting we already provide?
Here are ten important differences between customer reporting and data products:
1. Instead of summarizing data, solve a problem.
Most traditional reporting simply regurgitates data in a semi-aggregated format, leaving the user to decipher its meaning. A true data product, however, begins by identifying a customer’s specific pain points and investigating how data can deliver the insight required to solve them. It is not about displaying what is available; it is about deploying data to drive better decisions and tangible outcomes.
