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Susan Walsh
Founder/MD at The Classification Guru Ltd
Guildford, United Kingdom
With a decade of experience fixing your dirty data, Susan Walsh is the Classification Guru.
Susan is Founder and Managing Director of The Classification Guru Ltd, a specialist data classification, taxonomy customisation and data cleansing consultancy. She is an industry thought leader, TEDx speaker and author of the soon-to-be-published ‘Between the Spreadsheets: Classifying and Fixing Dirty Data’. She’s also the creator of COAT.
Susan has developed a methodology to accurately and efficiently classify, cleanse and check data for errors which will help prevent costly mistakes. This could save days of laborious cleansing and classifying and can help your business find cost savings through spend and time management - supporting better, more informed business decisions.
Susan brings clarity and accuracy to data and procurement; helps teams work more effectively and efficiently; and cuts through the jargon to address the issues of dirty data and its consequences in an entertaining and engaging way.
Susan is passionate about helping you find the value in cleaning your ‘dirty data’ and raises awareness of the consequences of ignoring issues through her blogs, vlogs, webinars and speaking engagements.
You can contact her on susan@theclassificationguru.com.
Available For: Consulting, Influencing, Speaking Travels From: Guildford, UK Speaking Topics: Spend data, data quality, dirty data, data classification, taxonomies, supplier normalisation, data cleaning, data cleansing
Susan Walsh
Points
Academic
20
Author
408
Influencer
381
Speaker
153
Entrepreneur
5
Total
967
Points based upon Thinkers360 patent-pending algorithm.
TCG vs. The Machines: Accepting AI and Chat GPT in spend data classification
LinkedIn
June 14, 2023
What’s that coming over the hill – is it a monster? No, it’s just the 21st century. And whether Sarah Connor likes it or not Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Chat GPT, also known as Generative AI (GenAI) is here to stay. But despite Skynet’s best efforts, it won’t take over, we are certain of that. We can live with it, in fact, even cohabit with it (almost) harmoniously in the spend data classification world, but not before it has been classified and checked by a human.
They say never meet your heroes....
LinkedIn
May 02, 2023
Happy May everyone! It was a lovely long bank holiday weekend here in the UK, AND it was my birthday, so even more celebrations for me. And that was off the back of a fantastic week last week getting to meet Christina Stathopoulos, MSc and Andrew Jones, they say never meet your heroes, but...
A Day of Celebration – Takeaways from Women In Data, London
LinkedIn
April 19, 2023
Bright and early on a Thursday morning, over 2000 women and allies from across the tech industry donned a piece of red clothing or jewellery and gathered at the stunning InterContinental London, O2. We were there for Women in Data, a flagship event that has been going eight years strong.
Does your Data have its COAT on?
Tech-Exec Magazine
February 13, 2023
obody likes to be caught out in a storm without a COAT on, so why would you do it? Many think they can take the risk, and then fall ill as the consequence. You might think you can risk getting a cold, but the outcome is likely to be much worse – think in the hospital with hypothermia.
It’s the same with your company data. You might think it’s low risk dirty data, but the reality is that without proper protection your data, and your company, will succumb to exposure from the elements. In this instance, we’re talking financial risk, job loss, business performance, or even fraud.
Don’t risk it. We’re here to help you put your COAT on.
What is Data Classification
Susan Walsh
August 24, 2022
Also known as categorisation to some people, spend data classification is when you categorise or classify your data into a bucket from a taxonomy or a category tree. And, what that does is it helps aggregate/combine your data into organised piles of information...
My name is not Woman - It's Susan and I am a Person
Susan Walsh
July 28, 2022
A person in procurement, a person in data and a person in business. And I am sick and TIRED of being labelled as a ‘woman in’ anything – as are many other women. Recently, a list was released by an organisation that’ll remain nameless of the Top Ten “Influencers” in Data… nine of them were men. And do not get me wrong, were all very credible nominees, but you cannot tell me there weren’t equally as many worthy female data influencers. So, where ARE the women?
Tags: Big Data, Diversity and Inclusion, Procurement
MY NAME IS NOT WOMAN. It’s Susan, and I’m a person.
LinkedIn
July 28, 2022
A person in procurement, a person in data and a person in business. And I am sick and TIRED of being labelled as a ‘woman in’ anything - as are many other women. Recently, a list was released by an organisation that’ll remain nameless of the Top Ten “Influencers” in Data… nine of them were men. And do not get me wrong, were all very credible nominees, but you cannot tell me there weren’t equally as many worthy female data influencers. So, where ARE the women?
The Dangers of Dirty Data
Susan Walsh
July 21, 2022
We all think we know what dirty data is, but it can mean very different things to different people, and depending on who you speak to you could end up with many different definitions. But, at it’s most basic level, dirty data is anything thst’s incorrect.
Within procurement that it could be misspelt vendors, incorrect invoice descriptions, missing product codes, a lack of standard units of measure (e.g. ltr, l, litres), currency issues, duplicate invoices or incorrect/partially classified data.
Dirty data can affect the whole organisation, and we all have an impact on, and responsibility for the data we work with. Accurate data should be everyone’s responsibility, but currently across many organisations data is the sole responsibility of a person or department, and everyone trusts them to make sure the data is accurate.
How many times have you been working with a data set and noticed a small error but not said anything, or just manually corrected something from an automated report, just get it out the door on time. These small errors can filter all the way up to the top of an organisation through reports and dashboards where critical decisions are being made.
Get your COAT, you've pulled (clean data)
Susan Walsh
June 24, 2022
If your data doesn’t have a COAT, there could be a range of bad or costly decisions made which could affect the business performance, financial situation, risk jobs, or even the fate of the company. You wouldn’t go out in freezing temperatures without the appropriate coat and you shouldn’t work with data or make business decisions without the same level of protection – accurate data.
And, just like with coats, there are different levels of quality data services out there. If you buy a cheap jacket, it might not be waterproof or protect you from the elements, it won’t last much longer than one season and you’ll need to buy another the next time winter rolls around again. It’s the same with data – if you don’t invest in good quality service you will end up paying twice as much, if not more, in the long run to fix the earlier mistakes. Don’t be left out in the cold.
Crisps or chips? Does it even matter?
Susan Walsh
June 17, 2022
It does if you're classifying a global data set! This is a challenge I'm helping one of my clients overcome right now.
We have to account for regional variations, define each category classification and make sure that when they want to do global analytics everything is in the same category so they can have true visibility of spend.
Top five classification tips
Susan Walsh
June 08, 2022
The Classification Guru turns 5 this week! And to celebrate I am sharing some of my TOP FIVE TIPS - get it?
We're starting with my Top 5 Classification Tips...
Normalise your suppliers first
Use keyword searches in the supplier and description name
Use the supplier name, description AND value for context
Don’t assume you know who the supplier is, double-check
Triple check your file once you’re finished
Five Things I’ve learned in my five years of business
Susan Walsh
June 06, 2022
Wow. I made it to five whole years, and for me, this is a huge milestone as many don’t get this far. But what a year it’s been. I would say in all honesty it’s probably been the hardest year, and that includes the ones where I couldn’t pay my bills.
It's fun to donate to the D.A.T.A....
Susan Walsh
May 31, 2022
The end of May already, I mean how did that happen??
Before I fill you in on all the shenanigans of this month, let me tell you about something that's more important than me, and let me tell you there are not many things!!
But this is very special, the data community has pulled together in full force to help support the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine caused by war, and affecting millions of lives.
A fantastic bunch of data guys and gals, including my fellow DataIQ 100 recipient Nicola Askham, along with Rob Howes, Lucy Allen, Roisin McCarthy, Dmytro Lugovyi, Bryan Dobson, Christoph Walch, Chris Neale and Pete Youngs have formed D.A.T.A (Data and Tech Aid) and set themselves the ambitious target of buying 10,000 medical kits, worth $1million, and they need your help!!
You might feel unsure how you can contribute, but let me tell you there are several ways.
Firstly, you can head over to https://dataandtechaid.com/ to make a donation. It doesn't have to be a large amount, if every one of my subscribers donated just £1, we'd have nearly £10k to add to the pot. £1 won't even get you a coffee these days!
Secondly, if you want more bang for your buck but still want to help, there's the official D.A.T.A merch store . Why not stock up on some t-shirts for your summer wardrobe, while helping to save lives. Pretty cool, huh?
And finally, why not get your organisation to sponsor? Speak to your marketing department to see if they have any budget to support such a worthy cause. And in return, they'll get great exposure, supported by the data greats of the industry. That's a money can't buy opportunity right there!
So, did you figure out the banner now?
D A T A
Right, let's resume usual service now. What have I been up to this month? What HAVEN'T I been up to!
It started the beginning of the month at the BigID's boat party during the Gartner conference. I met some old friends and new, and had a great time.
Then it was on to chatting to Sarah Barnes Humphrey on Let's Talk Supply Chain. Want to know what we spoke about?
It was then time to head up to London for the DMS Summit, where I was hosting a panel on data democratisation. Again great to see so many people, many whom I knew from Linkedin.
Was that enough? Absolutely not. I then headed up to Edinburgh to have a live session with Brian Booden and George Beaton for The Data Mix (and I also streamed live on LinkedIn). But the most exciting part of the trip was the Prosecco button in my hotel room. I just had to press it and Prosecco would arrive at my door minutes later. That's how you do customer service...
I've also been celebrating a year since my TEDx talk, it's a very personal one but something I'm extremely proud of.
What next? Oh yes, there was the Transform Your Audit Summit where I spoke to Claire Worledge about dirty data.
I did! And I'm a little bit late on April's newsletter but who's counting?? And what an April it was!
I had the pleasure of running rooms at Stackstreams launch festival, spoke at Silicon Brighton's Data Forum meetup, featured in their blog and I was a judge for Onyx data's #dataDNA challenge.
There were around 200 entries and the level of competition made it very hard to judge, but I really enjoyed myself. Congratulations to all the winners
PLUS!! There were podcasts! I spoke to Ema Roloff on why data matters in digital transformation, which you can catch right here.
But there's more!!
It was a real dream come true to appear on the Women in Data podcast and talk about being a visible role model which you can listen to on any of these great platforms
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/ep-58-susan-walsh-becoming-an-authentic-and-visible/id1518317019?i=1000558884528
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0AHIEGHFf104bgi82SAWPu
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL3dvbWVuaW5kYXRhL2ZlZWQueG1s/episode/d29tZW5pbmRhdGEucG9kYmVhbi5jb20vNWFhZWIxZjctOTY4ZC0zYTJjLTk3YzQtOTQ1ZDZhMGQxMjBi?sa=X&ved=0CAUQkfYCahcKEwiw-76n6rT3AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ
Look after your data COAT!
Susan Walsh
April 12, 2022
If you know me, then you should hopefully know by now that your data needs to have its COAT on. It’s a simple and effective method and this principle is applied to all The Classification Guru’s services and your data. But what you might not know is this: your data COAT also needs to be maintained.
MAKE CLASSIFYING YOUR SPEND DATA A TOP PRIORITY IN 2022
Future of Sourcing
March 18, 2022
Classifying spend data can often seem like a huge and overwhelming task, says Susan Walsh, The Classification Guru, but you shouldn't push it down on the priority list. She shares why you need to make it your top data priority in 2022 and shares examples of costly mistakes.
How I Became The Classification Guru, Fixer of Dirty Data (Without Any Data Qualifications)
OnlyDataJobs.com
March 04, 2022
Yes, it’s all true! I have absolutely no qualifications in data and yet I’m running a successful data consultancy business, classifying spend data, normalising suppliers, building taxonomies and cleaning databases…
Back to basics: What is dirty data?
LinkedIn
January 05, 2022
What exactly is dirty data? Well, the truth is that it can mean different things to different people, working with different types of data, but at its most basic level, dirty data is anything incorrect.
They Did What?! Data Horror Stories Revealed
Future of Sourcing
October 25, 2021
We all like a good horror story, especially a data one. It’s like when you pass an accident on the road, you can’t help but slow down to have look, and then you’re thankful it wasn’t you.
Data horror stories are just like that. It gives us comfort to know that we are not the only ones suffering and that there might be people in even worse situations out there. We’re not just going to slow down here though; we’re also going to stop and see what went wrong. That way we can avoid finding ourselves in these situations in the future.
WHAT CAN YOUR PROCUREMENT DATA TELL YOU?
Future of Sourcing
September 28, 2021
You might not realize it yet, but your procurement data can tell you a lot. It’s not just numbers either, it can tell you a story about what is going on within your organization -- and even further afield.
WHAT IS A TAXONOMY, AND SHOULD I BE USING ONE?
Future of Sourcing
August 04, 2021
Data taxonomy is the classification of data into categories and sub-categories. More technically, it provides a unified view of the data in an organization and introduces common terminologies across multiple systems.
Does your Procurement Data have its COAT?
World of Procurement
July 28, 2021
If your Procurement data doesn’t have a COAT, there could be a range of bad or costly decisions made which could affect the business performance, financial situation, risk jobs, or even the fate of the company.
Get your COAT, you've pulled (clean data)
LinkedIn
July 08, 2021
If your data doesn’t have a COAT, there could be a range of bad or costly decisions made which could affect the business performance, financial situation, risk jobs, or even the fate of the company. It’s a bit like dating – the more refined the search pool is, the more likely you are to find a match! You wouldn't go searching for ‘the one’ in a nightclub if you prefer the quiet life, you’d have nothing in common. And you shouldn’t work with data or make business decisions without the same level of quality data.
Hi Everyone, we are at the end of March already, AND it's EASTER!! That means a bank holiday on Friday and Monday here in the UK so I'm looking forward to the four-day week, four-day weekend, and then another four-day week next week
Hi everyone, well we have reached the end of November, how did that happen? I've been working pretty full-on since I got back from Atlanta, as well as hardcore socialising. We've had some exciting projects that we've been working on, from material master data cleaning to spend data classification
September was SUPER-CHARGED
LinkedIn
October 03, 2023
Happy October! Who's ready for Spooky Season? Don't let dirty data be one of the things that haunts you this month, keep that data clean with a 50% discount on Fixing Dirty Data – The Basics of Data Cleaning. Simply use code DIRTYDATA50 at checkout
There's events, more events, and even more events for a start! But before all that, I launched the Fixing Dirty Data course last month, and it's had a great response, particularly from those wanting to train their teams.
31st Jan, we made it!! And my new course launches tomorrow! Eek!
LinkedIn
January 31, 2023
It's February at last! For us here at TCG Towers January has flown by and we had a very exciting month. You'd think it would be quiet being January and everything, but dirty data never sleeps and neither do we!
Oh no, not another Christmas newsletter...
LinkedIn
December 20, 2022
Fear not friends, I think it's safe to say we all deserve a well-earned break, and so instead of telling you anything of importance, I've put together my year in pictures by month, no reading required, and who knows you might even be in there!
Don't let your dirty data haunt you...
LinkedIn
October 31, 2022
Happy Halloween! Is anyone else freaked out about how quickly this year is going??? It feels like yesterday I sent the last newsletter, yet here I am again updating you on my crazy adventures in October.
July in the slow lane....well kind of!
LinkedIn
August 01, 2022
After what has been one of the busiest years so far, it's been nice to live most of July in the slow lane, catching up on admin, preparing a new TCG course and some other grand plans...But I'll leave that for another day, there's so much to tell you about what's been going on in this "quiet" month, so let's start with this...
March Madness - Awards & Events Galore!!
Susan Walsh
March 31, 2022
What a month I have had! I can't quite believe everything that has happened. It started with eWorld Procurement, in what could have been a disaster with train strikes and torrential rain, the dedicated procurement professionals came out in force to learn, network and reunite.
FAB-ruary Newsletter: Phew! What a jam packed month!
LinkedIn
February 28, 2022
Tomorrow, I am heading to eWorld! It was postponed last year so it's been a long time in the making and I can't wait to host my workshop and hopefully meet some of you as well! I'll be giving away a TCG Highland Cow AND a copy of Between the Spreadsheets... so make sure you swing by the booth to enter!
Between the Spreadsheets: Classifying and Fixing Dirty Data
Facet Publishing
September 23, 2021
Dirty data is a problem that costs businesses thousands, if not millions, every year. In organisations large and small across the globe you will hear talk of data quality issues. What you will rarely hear about is the consequences or how to fix it.
Between the Spreadsheets: Classifying and Fixing Dirty Data draws on classification expert Susan Walsh’s decade of experience in data classification to present a fool-proof method for cleaning and classifying your data. The book covers everything from the very basics of data classification to normalisation, taxonomies and presents the author’s proven COAT methodology, helping ensure an organisation’s data is Consistent, Organised, Accurate and Trustworthy. A series of data horror stories outlines what can go wrong in managing data, and if it does, how it can be fixed.
After reading this book, regardless of your level of experience, not only will you be able to work with your data more efficiently, but you will also understand the impact the work you do with it has, and how it affects the rest of the organisation.
Written in an engaging and highly practical manner, Between the Spreadsheets gives readers of all levels a deep understanding of the dangers of dirty data and the confidence and skills to work more efficiently and effectively with it.
Tech-Exec Magazine Data Leaders Awards 2022 Nomination
Tech-Exec Magazine
August 15, 2022
Susan Walsh has been nominated and shortlisted for the Tech-Exec Data Leader Awards 2022! The winners will be announced in Issue 12 of Tech-Exec Magazine.
Data Classification Experts of the Year
Corporate LiveWire
April 24, 2023
Hip hip, hooray! We have been selected as Corporate LiveWire's 2023 Innovation & Excellence Program winner for the category Data Classification Experts of the Year. Thank you so much to everyone who voted for The Classification Guru Ltd. We really appreciate it
Data Champion (Data Enabler) 2022 - DataIQ Award
DataIQ
September 29, 2022
Data leaders, teams and individuals are critical to the success of data-driven organisations, bringing the skills, creativity and drive required to create value. Awards in this stream recognise how talent with great leadership builds better business.
The first and only fully-curated power list of the most influential data and analytics practitioners. Since 2014, DataIQ has been tracking the rise of chief data officers, chief analytics officers, data scientists, data governance experts and the leaders of key vendors and service providers. Inclusion in the DataIQ 100 is a notable badge of honour that is widely referenced by the individuals who make the cut.
Fixing Dirty Data in Business Systems
Dataversity
December 06, 2021
What is dirty data? What are the consequences? How can you fix it? You're expected to cleanse data, but very few are trained on how to do it, understand why it’s needed, or understand the impact and consequences that it can have on a business.
Susan Walsh will share with you how to cleanse data in your business systems (including spreadsheets!), regardless of your level of experience. She'll explain why data accuracy and maintenance are so important and how to implement best practices for this.
There are many different tools out there that can help with this, but if you don’t understand the data you are working with, how do you know if the tool is working? Data quality, data cleansing, and cleaning are undervalued and underrepresented skills and tasks. Not only will this presentation highlight their importance, but it will do so in a fun and engaging way.
Takeaways:
The consequences of dirty data
How to ensure data accuracy
How to cleanse business and personal data
How to normalize supplier data
The Dangers of Dirty Data
Safe Software
August 24, 2022
We all think we know what bad data looks like, but what is it and what are the consequences?
With a decade of experience fixing your dirty data, Susan Walsh is the Classification Guru.
Susan is Founder and Managing Director of The Classification Guru Ltd, a specialist data classification, taxonomy customisation, and data cleansing consultancy. She is an industry thought leader, DataIQ100 Thought Leader 2022, TEDx speaker, and author of ‘Between the Spreadsheets: Classifying and Fixing Dirty Data’. She’s also the founder of COAT.
She will share real-life examples of dirty data, and the consequences it has on the output, such as decision making, reporting, analytics, AI and machine learning. You’ll also learn how to make quick, accurate checks and changes to your own data in excel, regardless of your level of experience, explain why data accuracy and maintenance is so important and implement best practices for this.
Takeaways:
The importance of data accuracy
The consequences of dirty data
How to ensure data accuracy
Make sure your data has its COAT on
How to spot-check your data
Saving you money and costly mistakes - The Classification Guru, Susan Walsh
Subkit
February 20, 2023
Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Susan Walsh, Founder of The Classification Guru Ltd, located in Guildford, United Kingdom.
Cleaning the big dirty data problem with The Classification Guru’s Susan Walsh
TECHERATI
February 13, 2023
Ahead of Tech Show London, Techerati spoke with Susan Walsh, Founder and MD of The Classification Guru Ltd, about the detrimental effects of having dirty data.
Susan will appear at Big Data & AI World 2023 to share more on how to clean your data, the importance of data accuracy, and making sure your data has its COAT on.
Why Data Cleanup Matters in Digital Transformation
Naviant
April 05, 2022
Learn about the importance of data cleanup from Susan Walsh, The Classification Guru Founder and Author of "Between the Spreadsheets." She breaks down why data cleanup is vital before a digital transformation, the role people play in data cleanup, and more.
Voice of Supply Chain with Susan Walsh
ISM New Jersey
August 26, 2021
Voice of Supply Chain: With Susan Walsh, The Classification Guru, Founder & Owner of Fixer of Dirty Data with guest host: Sarah Scudder, President, RSN
Women In Supply Chain, Susan Walsh
Let's Talk Supply Chain
June 07, 2021
In today’s episode of Women In Supply Chain, I’m joined by Susan Walsh: the self-confessed Mistress of Data who uses her expertise in spend data classification, supplier normalisation, and taxonomy customisation to help procurement and data teams across the industry to work more effectively.
Fixing ‘dirty data’ with Susan Walsh, the Classification Guru
Atoti
April 22, 2021
Follow us in part one of this interview with Susan as we understand more about ‘dirty data’ and how the ‘classification guru’ ensures that data has its COAT on.
Interview with Susan Walsh, Founder/MD, The Classification Guru Ltd
AI Time Journal
April 15, 2021
We thank Susan Walsh from The Classification Guru Ltd for taking part in this interview and sharing several insights, including:
- Tips and Tricks of getting into Data Science
- Common Data Issues and importance of business knowledge while dealing with data
- Resources and Recommendations
Meet Susan Walsh, the woman behind The Classification Guru
EM360
December 11, 2020
Susan Walsh wears many, many hats. Some of you may know her as the Classification Guru, or as the Fixer of Dirty Data. Susan is also a known thought leader, speaker, expert in her field, and founder of her own company (also named The Classification Guru). Having successfully built a brilliant personal brand – and accumulating thousands of followers along the way – Susan really is top of mind for many when it comes to data experts.
Entrepreneur Interviews – The Data Classification Guru
Corner Finance
September 16, 2020
A long time ago, when things were very different, we sat down face-to-face to speak with Susan Walsh - the one and only Data Classification Guru.
If you're looking for a genuinely inspiring business owner, then look no further. The importance of persistence, of having a passion for what you do, of surrounding yourself with the right people, and of wanting to make a difference - there is so much in here. Just don't call her an entrepreneur......or mention ghosting.
Data Management Summit London
A-Team Insight
May 11, 2022
SESSION OVERVIEW
Key drivers behind democratising data
Ensuring data quality levels for analytics
Balancing governance, privacy, ethical concerns with innovation to ensure data is used safely, securely and with appropriate controls
How data science, machine learning and data visualisation can support data discovery
Acquiring the right talent to keep up with AI and data science
Moderator: Susan Walsh, Founder and MD, The Classification Guru
Adam Preston, Chief Data Officer, Close Brothers Asset Finance and Leasing
Mridula Mutharaju, Head of Partner Analytics (Commercial, Corporates & Institutions), NatWest
Dr Fiona Browne, Head of Software Development and Machine Learning, Datactics
66 Questions Data Leaders Unplugged
The Data Strategy Show
March 07, 2023
Our Founder & MD Susan Walsh - The Classification Guru sat down with The Data Strategy Show host Samir Sharma to answer 66 Questions Data Leaders Unplugged.
"Behind every data leader there is a person" - Samir Sharma
Complete insights on incomplete data - Susan Walsh speaks to engatica
Engatica
December 29, 2022
In today's episode of the engatica interview series, we spoke Susan Walsh - The Classification Guru on the show! We talk about how should brands solve the problem of incomplete data and so much more.
The engatica interview series is a powerhouse of insights from industry experts and influencers from around the world. A platform that provides the latest news on AI, Automation, and technologies that will help you grow your business.
The Dangers of Dirty Data - The Classification Guru Susan Walsh
Ideagen
December 15, 2022
Hear from Susan Walsh - The Classification Guru Founder and MD, as she discusses the dangers of dirty data, as well as how she helps her clients clean up their data management.
The Dangers of Dirty Data - The Classification Guru Susan Walsh
Ideagen
December 07, 2022
Hear from Susan Walsh - The Classification Guru Founder and MD, as she discusses the dangers of dirty data, as well as how she helps her clients clean up their data management.
We've launched this podcast to help people within digital roles address the big challenges they face and discuss the industry's key themes by leveraging today's best ideas in business and technology to break down old barriers to collaboration and business success. Each week you will be joined by one of our three Breaking Silos hosts from Ideagen and together you will learn from experts across diverse industries to save time, cut costs and simplify your workflows. We aim to help you build a more connected, digital-first tomorrow. In our first episode, we speak to Susan Walsh, Founder and Managing Director of The Classification Guru, to discuss: the dangers of dirty data, what dirty data is and whose job is data management, the role of bad data in procurement, and what companies should do if they're in a mess.
Susan Walsh - The Classification Guru | What companies are getting wrong in their journey towards clean data
Kodiak Hub
December 02, 2022
How can Procurement, Sustainability and Supply Chain teams become better at cleaning their Supplier Data?
What are some of the pitfalls when launching projects to clean your data and how could it potentially harm your business by not investing in cleaning your data?
Also, what are companies actually getting right with their data?
Susan Walsh - The Classification Guru has been working with classification, cleansing and quality assurance of data for 10+ years in various roles until she started her own company: The Classification Guru Ltd, where she helps businesses save money & make better business decisions with accurate data and spend analytics.
She's a TEDx talker and released her own book called "Between the Spreadsheets. Classifying and Fixing Dirty Data".
It's safe to say, when it comes to data, she's seen it all! Timestamps: (3:10) What made her start with data? (4:50) Difference between dirty data inhouse/consultancy? (6:20) What are companies getting wrong in their journey towards clean data? (10:44) What are companies getting right with their data? (11:42) Tips on how to distribute your content in social media (19:28) How are we gonna get to clean ESG data with all that dirty data? (20:40) What are the most important data to be gathering to meet ESG Goals? Links: Susan Walsh Linkedin
https://www.theclassificationguru.com/
Susan Walsh - Between the Spreadsheets | Redefining AI - Artificial Intelligence with Squirro
Squirro Academy
August 15, 2022
After years of trying to establish visible progression, awareness-raising and diverse employment efforts, there is still a lack of women and female diversification in the tech industry. Two reasons for this are:
a lack of mentors
a lack of female role models that embody diversity
In this episode: Between the Spreadsheets, Lauren Hawker Zafer invites Susan Walsh - The Classification Guru, to talk about her own experiences in the industry as a prominent female who embodies diversity, and how she consciously strives to break various moulds in the industry. Lauren and Susan's conversation goes from exploring Susan's passion for data, her classification methodology: COAT and its importance in data fabrics, to her brand success with sexualizing data and the processes associated with it. This conversation is for anyone who is interested in learning about data classification and more importantly for those who want to be part of motioning an industry of inclusion and diversification. Join Susan and Lauren to plant a seed of inspiration.
Redefining AI is powered by The Squirro Academy - learn.squirro.com. Try our free courses on AI, ML, NLP and Cognitive Search at the Squirro Academy and find out more about Squirro here.
How data powers our society and species for tomorrow
EM360
July 15, 2022
The trend of data at our fingertips is continuing. Virtually, everything we do is impacted by data.
From driving your car to shopping to fighting pandemics such as Covid-19. Everything is impacted by data and understanding is improved by embracing and using it.
In the final episode of a three-part podcast series, Analyst Susan Walsh - The Classification Guru speaks to Don Murray, President and co-founder of Safe Software.
Listen to the full podcast here:
https://lnkd.in/ekruqaNT
Susan Walsh on - Tail spend is where the real party is happening
Paid Ltd
June 17, 2022
We’re back with series 2 of ‘What’s in your long tail?’ and we couldn’t be more pleased to kick things off with Susan Walsh - The Classification Guru Walsh.
Susan chats with Christina and Paul about making sense of tail spend data and all the quirky and wonderful things you can find inside it. But more importantly, she talks through getting started on the long tail data analysis journey, what to look out for, and putting on your data COAT.
It’s a great episode, and is available to stream now.
Making sense of tail spend data - a masterclass with Susan Walsh
Paid Ltd
June 17, 2022
In the first episode of series 2, Christina Patrick and Paul Smith are joined by The classification guru and fixer of dirty data Susan Walsh. Susan shares tips on where to start with cleansing data, how to put good data management processes in place, and some horror stories she has seen along the way, and how to use the insights in your tail spend data to make good business decisions.
Susan Walsh - My journey into data | Podcast
Business of Data
June 16, 2022
In this week’s episode of the Business of Data podcast, host Catherine King talks with Founder and Managing Director of data quality consultancy The Classification Guru about her personal journey into the data and analytics industry, and how she found her calling as a ‘fixer of dirty data’.
In the discussion this week:
The importance of fun in data culture
Walsh’s personal journey into the data and analytics industry
The dangers of ‘dirty data’ and how to avoid them
The Classification Guru on Clean Data - Starting classification with clean data
BigID
June 13, 2022
Susan Walsh, The Classification Guru, joins us to talk about the importance of clean data, getting started with data classification, and her book "Between the Spreadsheets."
All Hotel Soap Goes to Heaven (Or Does It?)
Let's talk supply chain
May 10, 2022
#ThoughtsAndCoffee
Tips you can use today for beating trending supply chain disruptions
The afterlife of used hotel soap
How companies are still managing to get booze to the public despite supply chain struggles
Safe Software: Digital Twins and Their Role Within the Data Space
https://em360tech.com/
May 03, 2022
Play
17:17
22:46
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Digital twins are virtual models designed to accurately reflect a physical object or process. The real-world applications of this are endless - from city planning to construction and decoration, digital twins can help you visualise concepts within spaces with ease. When it comes to processes a digital twin can represent measurements of flows that are difficult to show such as wind direction, or temperature of flows within pipes.
What’s more, the twinned object can be outfitted with sensors and produce performance data that can be applied to the digital copy. This offers a valuable insight into how the physical object will perform in real life.
Interview with Susan Walsh – The Classification Guru Ltd
AI Time Journal
May 03, 2022
Interview with Susan Walsh – The Classification Guru Ltd |
A masters in Artificial Intelligence and Data Management, Akshay is keen to dive deep into the ocean of data science and AI. He successfully ran a full-time startup for 5 years and have 4+ years of experience working in the area of Data Science and AI. He is an International Partner at the World Business Angels Investment Forum. Akshay is a technology geek and always strives to look out for different trends in the information technology industry. He is continuously learning and trying to create as much value as he could.
Becoming an authentic and visible role model
Women in Data
April 28, 2022
This week, Karen is joined by Susan Walsh, The Classification Guru. In a field that gets excited by buzzwords, Susan used her sparkling personality to increase her visibility and make data cleansing fun. In this episode, she talks about how being authentic and visible helped her grow her business, along with the impact it has on the upcoming generation of data professionals. An extrovert by nature, she recognises that increasing visibility comes as a challenge to introverts and provides tips for them to do so without feeling uncomfortable. You will hear about how she keeps her content authentic despite the fear of judgment and negative experiences, as well as how the shift to in-house data analytics made organisations more aware of the challenges related to data quality, providing her with a space to start a business in the field.
Vertica: Advanced Analytics is the Future of Data
EM360
March 04, 2022
Advanced analytics is the next step for organisations that want to be at the cutting edge of data analysis. For decades, organisations have been generating reports, primarily documenting 'What happened?' or 'What is happening?'. Essentially, it was once solely about descriptive analytics reporting, until some decided to take it to the next level with diagnostic analytics - i.e. looking at why things happen. Fast forward to more recent years and the evolution of technologies like data lake and warehouse have led to explosive growth in data volume, velocity, and variety and increased the demand for organisations to garner greater insights from data. This is how advanced analytics was born.
UCOVI Data Blog Interview: Susan Walsh (The Classification Guru)
UCOVI
February 23, 2022
In September for the UCOVI Blog (ucovi-data.com/BlogLatest) I covered my experience on day one of the BigDataLDN 2021 expo, where the pick of the talks was given by Susan Walsh, founder of The Classification Guru and author of Between the Spreadsheets: Classifying and Fixing Dirty Data.
Safe Software: The Spatial Data Evolution: Integrating Data
EM360
February 16, 2022
Spatial data, also known as geospatial data, is any data that has information about a location. Upon first thought, many people directly translate this to 'maps', but spatial data is, in fact, so much more: it looks at the environment, business functions, satellite data, drones, 3D modelling, and ophthalmology. With its broad outlook, companies conventionally struggle to grasp the aspects and size of this technology. However, there is a platform on the market that works to support businesses with spatial data, namely from an integration standpoint. Say hello to the Feature Manipulation Engine, or FME for short.
Creating a Lasting Data Governance Practice with Susan Walsh
Women in Data
February 10, 2022
This week on Data Bytes, Susan Walsh discusses data governance. What is it, how can you make sure your data governance strategy stays up to date and who is responsible for maintenance. She not only shares her data insights but also her tips on being yourself on social media. With over 26,000 followers on LinkedIn, Susan knows how to present herself in a positive and professional way.
About Susan Walsh
Data Cleaning and Classification
Buffalo State Data Talk Podcast
February 01, 2022
In this episode Susan Walsh, the Managing Director of The Classification Guru, talks about how her company specializes in cleaning and classifying data for their clients. Susan shares how she works to make data fun and relatable through her company and her LinkedIn presence.
Stuck In A Niche Industry? Here’s Everything You Need To Know About Creating Demand Through Speaking With Susan Walsh
Elizabeth Bachman
October 21, 2021
If you’re selling something niche, how do you find customers? You need to stand out and really create a demand for it. Susan Walsh‘s business is on data quality and most people don’t even know what that is. Susan is the founder of The Classification Guru and she is a specialist in spend data classification. Learn from the Mistress of Data herself on how she created demand through speaking. Elizabeth Bachman gets Susan on the show to share how she thrives in a niche industry. Find out if you’re spending the right amount for something, no matter where you bought it. Discover the Coat system and how Susan uses that when it comes to data management. Learn all of that and more today!
Together with professionals from all over Europe, the Middle East and Africa, DAMA-EMEA designed a multi-track agenda that allows everyone to share their vision and ideas around the world of Data Management
The Danger of Dirty Data - The Classification Guru
Arkestro
November 08, 2022
CPO & CFO Panels
Predict and stay ahead of price increases
Drive predictable cost savings using data
Align with C-Suite strategic objectives
Analytics Skill Workshops
Sharpen your procurement KPI reports with new techniques
Earn Continuing Education (CE) credits for attending Optimal
Get process templates for optimal supply resilience, diversity, ESG
Fixing Dirty Data
Procurement Foundry
November 03, 2022
ENGAGE - Procurement Foundry Las Vegas
The procurement mandate
High level and strategic, macro trends impacting procurement through 2023 and beyond; addressing impact on sourcing from the economy, inflation, political and supply chain disruption, emerging technologies, ESG and more. Delivered in intimate, peer-led huddles and closed-door practitioner discussions, to maximise peer collaboration.
DAY 2
The skills revolution
Structured around personal growth, career development, skills and competency enhancement, to equip you with the tools and techniques to excel. Covering content from Visual Thinking to Data Den, Negotiations Ninja and Digital 101. Hands on, fully interactive sessions mean no place to hide and everything to gain!
Dirty Data examples are Typos, Wrong descriptions, Incorrect information, data in wrong columns, no standard units of measure, Currency issues, Formatting issues, and Duplicates.
The Classification Guru Ltd can help rectify your data, saving you time and costs, enabling you to make accurate business decisions, preventing fraud and risks, regulatory issues, GDPR accuracy, preventing reputational damage, increase your profitability.
Between the spreadsheets - the danger of dirty data
P2P Network
June 07, 2022
Dirty data is a problem that costs businesses thousands, if not millions, every year. In organisations large and small across the globe you will hear talk of data quality issues. What you will rarely hear about is the consequences or how to fix it.
Transform your Audit Summit 2022 London - How Would You Transform Your Audit Team Into Data Leaders?
DataAnalytics Aufina.com
May 16, 2022
Data analytics is recognized today as being essential for making business decisions.
Decisions are also made using data, by governments, institutions and non-profit organizations.
If we are in business, the stakeholders are the shareholders, but also the employees, that want the company to grow and succeed, rather than fall apart, due to a major fraud scandal or corrupt practice that leads the company to generate losses.
If we are a member of the public, we want the decisions to improve general wellbeing and use tax-payer money efficiently.
The role of the auditor is to serve these stakeholders, to make sure that decisions made are within their interests. Since those decisions tend to be based on data, the auditor needs to be able to: 1/ Check the data is complete and accurate. 2/ Check the data is interpreted correctly.
If the auditor cannot do these checks, then they will fail to safeguard their stakeholders.
Today, employees in finance, accounting, marketing, and other areas are all picking up data skills. However, internal audit is often lagging behind, despite recommendations from the IAASB, such as the ISA 240 that states the auditors' responsibility for detecting fraud, or the IIA Chief Executive Dr. Ian Peters MBE, who states in 2017, the following reason for using data analytics in their article: Data Analytics Is It Time To Take The First Step: "Increased effectiveness. Analytics allows for whole population testing instead of random or judgmental sampling, as well as enabling continuous auditing so that internal audit and the business can pick up on emerging trends and themes and be more nimble with their risk monitoring;".
How would you transform your auditors into Data Leaders? Join our summit to learn from experts about what they would do to transform their audit team. You can also pick up the tools that they use or have developed that they feel are essential for this goal.
The Dangers of Dirty Spend Data
eWorld
March 01, 2022
We all think we know what bad data looks like, but what is it and what are the consequences?
See some real-life examples of dirty data, and the consequences it has on the output, such as decision making, cost savings, reporting, analytics, AI and machine learning.
The Art of Organizing, Cleaning and Managing Raw Data
Hevo Data
January 12, 2022
irty data is a big problem! Calling your data dirty is another way of saying it is incomplete, improperly structured, or flawed. You may not have the ability to answer simple questions or dig into the root cause of issues in your organization if you have dirty data. You might even make decisions based on inaccurate outputs. Learn the real meaning of dirty data, the consequences it can create and the methods you can use to fix this problem.
Between the Spreadsheets: Classifying and Fixing Dirty Data
Big Data LDN
September 22, 2021
With a decade of experience fixing your dirty data, Susan Walsh is the Classification Guru.
Susan is Founder and Managing Director of The Classification Guru Ltd, a specialist data classification, taxonomy customisation and data cleansing consultancy. She is an industry thought leader, TEDx speaker and author of the soon-to-be-published ‘Between the Spreadsheets: Classifying and Fixing Dirty Data’. She’s also the creator of COAT.
She will share real-life examples of dirty data, and the consequences it has on the output, such as decision making, reporting, analytics, AI and machine learning. You’ll also learn how to make quick, accurate checks and changes to your own data in excel, regardless of your level of experience, and explain why data accuracy and maintenance is so important and implement best practices for this.
Common Issues with Supplier Data: "If You're Not Having Fun, You're Not Doing It Right"
Trust your Supplier
August 11, 2021
In this episode, Susan Walsh discusses managing supplier data and how it relates to doing laundry and cleaning your closet. Listen in as she talks about common issues with the upkeep of supplier data, the importance of clear visibility into supplier data, and what’s between the spreadsheets.
NO is an opportunity. NO can mean better things are around the corner. NO doesn't really have to mean no.
Susan, The Classification Guru, has said No to No many times, which has led her (almost always) to better things. Not least her own data business (which she loves).
Let Susan's story help you identify opportunities in your life where you can also say No to No, and build your own resilience. For many, the word ‘no’ is final. It’s a roadblock. A shutdown. The end of the line. But not in the eyes of Susan Walsh. Susan says, ‘say No to No’.
For Susan, no is an opportunity. No can mean better things are around the corner. ‘No’ doesn't really have to mean no.
Throughout her life, there have been many times when Susan - also known as The Classification Guru - has had to say No to No and it's led to better things.
And it is Susan’s hope that in telling you her story, you too will begin to identify opportunities in your life where you can also say No to No, and build your own resilience through a simple determination not to fall down at the first hurdle or turn around at the first roadblock, but to find alternative routes to your end goal.
DSGO Virtual - April 2021
DSGO Virtual
April 10, 2021
Maybe you're new to data science and are looking to get oriented in a quickly changing data landscape. Or you're a data practitioner ready to take the next step in your career by learning new data skills and expanding your network. Or you might be a data manager looking for talent, toolsets, and workflows to grow your team's productivity. No matter the stage of your data career, DataScienceGO is for you!
Dangers of Dirty Data
Data Talks
February 16, 2021
We all think we know what bad data looks like, but what is it and what are the consequences? Susan Walsh, The Classification Guru has spent nearly a decade classifying, normalising and cleansing spend data and will share real-life examples of dirty data, and the consequences it has on the output, such as decision making, reporting, analytics, AI and machine learning. She will share with you how to make quick, accurate checks and changes to your own data in excel, regardless of your level of experience, explain why data accuracy and maintenance is so important and implement best practices for this.
Cleansing Data in Excel Course
Pluralsight
May 23, 2022
My course - Cleansing Data in Excel - is on Pluralsight!
If you're on Pluralsight or your organisation is, get everyone on this course, they won't be disappointed I promise!