Alteryx talk about the Chief Data Officer and its evolution to the Chief Transformation Officer. It is a subject that Enterprise Times spoke to Alan Jacobson, Chief data and Analytics Officer at Alteryx about. Jacobson has both an internal and externally facing role at the company
ET asked Jacobson what changes the Alteryx has made internally and how that has benefited the business. He talks also talks about Digital Transformation and how companies often find it gets to a point where it becomes harder. Jacobson said: “It is frequently harder because of the cultural impact and the actual change of the business process being difficult.” He explains that data scientists need to understand change management better. Jacobson then talks about best practice for implementing best practice. He acknowledges that is not a single route to success but believes that the CDAO can have an important role.
Data is critical to digital transformation and Jacobson talks about the role of data dictionaries and explains the Alteryx approach, Alteryx Connect. It is not just about the explanation of the piece of data but also the people who understand it.
FeatureLabs Acquisition
Alteryx recently acquired FeatureLabs, the acquisition brought feature engineering to Alteryx. Jacobson explains what it is and how it will benefit data sets. Throughout the conversation one of the biggest challenges highlighted by Alteryx clients is the change management. Sometimes it is just beginning that change, being able to introduce new models into a business.
Jacobson explains how Alteryx offer value engineering with customers to show the benefits of an evolutionary and revolutionary approach to transformation. The Alteryx Community also has a part. He shares some stories about where companies have got it wrong. He also explains how companies often adopt Alteryx, using a bottom up approach which can sometimes have an issue with governance. Jacobson acknowledges this an believes that companies need to consider a dual approach of bottom up and top down.
To hear what else Jacobson had to say, listen to the podcast
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