sigma

The question of which is the best data analysis tool – and this is something the vendors won’t tell you – is a question without an answer. As I said in my survey piece, Overview of Data Analysis Tools, what makes one tool better than another is a combination of five qualities: governance, concurrency, simplicity, extensability, and cost. This simple list begs the question: which tool (or tools) capably checks all these boxes? The answer is: none of them. The reason this question lacks a satisfying answer is because those five qualities aren’t a list you check off, they are political/phiosophical choices, many in direct tension with one another. For example, a tool that absolutely crushes governance tends to lose … Read more