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Subject:Re: What is a Business Analyst? From:Keith Hood <klhra -at- yahoo -dot- com> To:Lauren <lauren -at- writeco -dot- net>, "techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Mon, 5 Nov 2012 00:13:50 -0800 (PST)
Been there, done that too. It's ridiculous how many companies don't bother to keep their database docs updated. They not only change the data but also repurpose fields, so after decade a field that was meant to hold SSNs is actually populated with fishing license numbers, and the last DBA who knew that left the company two years ago without bothering to leave a note about it. There must be tens of thousands of companies out there staggering along with 40% or more of their data a complete mystery to them.
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From: Lauren <lauren -at- writeco -dot- net>
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Sent: Sunday, November 4, 2012 5:59 PM
Subject: Re: What is a Business Analyst?
<snip>
I think that more business analysts are necessary now for the predictions that I have made over the past couple of years. Businesses have pared down their documentation and communication efforts to cut costs and have made ad hoc changes to their systems to respond to financial and other needs. Without anyone available to effectively document these changes as the business progressed, businesses now need to analysts to derive the various components of the business that the business is using to function and to determine what the business has abandoned.
This has happened before, where businesses quit documenting their systems during economic downturns, but had to hire expensive consultants to help them understand their own systems after they had enough income again. Some of my best contracts were in doing this job, although clients often did not have an accurate name for the job.</snip>
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