Talend Data Health: Redefining Expertise

Article in partnership with Talend.

Last month, my company’s finance department informed me that my car lease was about to expire. As an Italian, I’m drawn to aesthetics, elegance, comfort, and luxury — qualities that converge in Alfa Romeo’s sports cars, particularly the new Giulia.

To be honest, my instinct was to choose an ultra-powerful version to enjoy the experience of driving a car with hundreds of KW and NM of thrust for the next three years. Fortunately, Alfa Romeo’s catalog is expansive, and it forced me to run some numbers on the technical, financial, and environmental data.

The fossil fuel emissions stopped me in my tracks. While the most powerful cars give rise to a thousand positive emotions, they are also major contributors to greenhouse effects — costing humanity and future generations far more than their list price.

In the end, my spreadsheet led me to choose a car not based on its powertrain, but rather its overall performance, price, and environmental footprint.

So why am I telling you this story? I want to highlight the importance of using data to make objective, strategic, and well-considered decisions.

If I had simply let my instincts prevail, I would have made a mistake — one that I would have had to live with for the next three years. Instead, I used data to bridge the divide between my instincts (or, in this case, my appetites) and my intellect. Thanks to the numbers, I was able to take a…