What is unstructured data?

- Information that do not reside in a traditional row-column database.

- More like a human language and subjective.
- Examples include emails, documents (Word docs, PDFs), social media posts,
videos, audio, and images.
- Covers 80-90% of business-relevant information.

Problems with Unstructured Data

- UD creates challenges from a security and compliance standpoint.
- Those lacking visibility into stored data can be exposed to security risks.
- Proper data management can provide an audit trail, and also helps companies
align with laws and regulations.
- With proper visibility and security policies, risks can be mitigated.
- Unstructured data has no set way for a computer to interact with it.
- UD cannot be easily mapped by a computer into pre-defined fields.
- Employees’ personal data are not adding value to the business.

Human-Generated Unstructured Data

Text files: Word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, email, logs.
Email:  Gmail, Outlook, YahooMail.
Social Media: Data from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn.
Website: YouTube, Instagram, photo sharing sites.
Mobile data: Text messages, locations.
Communications: Chat, IM, phone recordings, collaboration software.
Media: MP3, digital photos, audio and video files.
Business applications: MS Office documents, productivity applications.

Machine-Generated Unstructured Data

Satellite imagery: Weather data, land forms, military movements.
Scientific data: Space exploration, seismic imagery, atmospheric data.
Digital surveillance: Surveillance photos and video.
Sensor data: Traffic, weather, oceanographic sensors.
What is Structured Data?
- Structured data refers to information with a high degree of organization.
- Structured data is easily organized and generally stored in databases.
- Seamless and readily searchable by simple, straightforward search engine
algorithms or other search operations.
- It consists of numerical information and is objective (no interpretation).
- It is represented by information, displayed in titled columns and rows, which can
easily be ordered and processed by data mining tools.
- Written in a format easy for machines to understand.

Characteristics of Structured Data

- Arranged in an organized, defined way.
- Easier for a computer to interact and process.
- Structured data is easy to work with
- An epitome of structured data is the database.

Structured vs Unstructured Data

The Future of Data

The volume of big data is continuing to rise, but soon, the importance of having large
volumes will cease to exist.

Regardless if data is structured or unstructured, having the most accurate and relevant
data at hand will be key for companies looking to gain an advantage.

Utilizing the right data will allow companies to:

● Reduce operational costs.
● Track current metrics and create new ones.
● Understand its customers on a far deeper level.
● Unveil smarter and more targeted marketing campaigns.
● Find new product opportunities and offerings.

Process Digitization
- Automating business process that used to be done manually is no longer
effective for doing good business
- It is the new trend that changes a process from manual to digital form.
- It uses CAMSS - Cloud, Analytics, Mobile, Social and Security which helps in
decision management, connecting the Internet of Things (IoT) and SMART
 machines to work in conjunction with HUMANS to advance automation beyond
standardization.
- Companies struggling to support digitization should consider cutting the number
of steps required, reducing the number of documents, developing automated
decision making, and dealing with regulatory and fraud issues.

• Operating models
• Organizational structures
• Data models
• Digitizing in a prioritized and strategic way

Impact of Digitization
- Global Process Standardization
- Reduced Process Cycle Time
- Improved Process Visibility/Tracking
- Implementation of Process Controls
- Elimination of Paper Forms
- Improved Workflow Productivity