I <3 Data - Not

You've all seen the T-shirts and avatars that say, "I <3 Data".

When I had the opportunity to pose with an "I <3 Data" statement, I didn't do it. I chose "I <3 Tableau" and "Viz Like a Boss".

After almost a year of seeing "I <3 Data" here, there and everywhere, it finally occurred to me...

I don't <3 data.

Don't get me wrong, data is valuable. I couldn't do what I do without it.

But I don't inherently <3 it.

For me, the data step isn't where the love comes in. It's in the interpretation, the visualization, the insights - that's where the love comes in.

To be honest, prior to discovering Tableau, I didn't <3 data at all. Mostly I hated it. Data meant work - often lots of difficult, unpleasant work.

Sure, at times it was fun to some extent to learn about pivot tables, macros, array formulas, Access queries, and SQL needed to beat my data into submission. But love is not the word I would use for the experience.

That was then; this is now.

I still can't really say I <3 data. Not by itself.

But I most definitely <3 data + Alteryx + Tableau. Oh, yeah. I've got a serious love fest going on there!

Look, nobody's paying me to say this or even giving me a badge. I'm just telling it like it is.

If you're stuck in the data hell that I was, and you haven't discovered Alteryx and Tableau, you're suffering needlessly.

You can <3 data. You just need the right tools. I've found that Alteryx and Tableau help me <3 my data, and these tools can help you too!