Tech Talk with Toni

  Every day, we pay attention to things that keep our lives running smoothly, like making sure our phone battery is charged.  Today's post is inspired by a presentation I did with my team around KPIs, short for Key Performance Indicators.  I've created many dashboards in the past, but I hadn't fully understood the significance of KPIs. After questioning the significance of these numbers and taking a LinkedIn Learning course, I gained a clearer perspective on the topic.  Imagine pilots in a cockpit: If they focus only on one sensor, they could miss other crucial information and risk a crash. On the other hand, if they try to monitor every single indicator at once, they’d be overwhelmed and could make critical errors. You see, the reason why it's called a key performance indicator is that you must be intentional with your selection process so that you get the desired result. You get what you measure! After completing the course, I realized how essential it is to select th

Heredity is the story written across generations. Today's post is inspired by a conversation with a friend who is on a quest to build her family tree.  This got me thinking about why we have such a strong desire to uncover our origins and as a Biology enthusiast, I couldn't help but draw parallels between genetics and data. Why is it important to trace the origins of things? What do we gain from understanding where we come from? These are the questions I'll explore today. In Biology, traits are passed down through generations. For instance, if your ancestors were from Ireland, you might inherit the genetic trait for red hair or a predisposition to certain conditions like celiac disease. Similarly, in the world of data, knowing the lineage of information is crucial. Imagine a retail company’s quarterly sales report being skewed because a high-priced item was mistakenly listed at a bargain price, leading to inflated sales and misleading projections.  The first question would

One of these things are not like the others Today's post is inspired by a minor problem I encountered in an automated solution. An unaccounted-for scenario arose, much like the winds that famously brought down the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, leading to an unexpected result. After examining the input values used in the calculation, I pinpointed the cause of the error. This experience made me appreciate what my university lecturers were trying to instill in us: always account for edge cases. A friend of mine had a motto—he aimed to make his code 'monkey-proof,' ensuring that even nonsensical input wouldn't break his program. I believe that building resilient solutions should always be the goal, especially for systems intended for reuse. By considering as many edge cases as possible from the outset, you'll make your solutions far more maintainable in the long run. Now, here are some ways to find edge cases: Know Your Ranges What is the expected range of values for your data

Steve Jobs , co-founder of Apple, was known for his incredible public speaking skills, particularly during product launches. I’ve noticed that many tech professionals shy away from presenting their work, often finding it far more stressful than the solutions they spent weeks building. But, I am here to let you in on a secret: Being able to speak in front of an audience—whether virtually or in person—will set you apart from the rest. As Isaiah Colthrust , Content Strategist, said, "You are already an expert to somebody," so use this as a source of confidence in your next presentation. Not to brag, but since I started this blog, I’ve been invited to speak at two virtual tech events and a podcast within a year. And even though my sound quality was bad and I was very nervous, I got the opportunity to connect with a lot of amazing people. I’m sharing this not to show off, but to inspire you to step outside your comfort zone and put your thoughts out there. With that being said, h

Power BI is one of the fastest-growing skills overall according to Coursera's Skill Report 2024  Today’s post is inspired by my decision to learn more about Power BI over Tableau. My bias stems from the fact that Power BI was my first data visualization love, and you never forget your first! Now, when you're in the dashboard creation game, you're likely to be familiar with Tableau and Power BI (PBI for short). If not, think of these tools as canvases for placing your data visualizations such as donut charts and histograms to tell a cohesive story around a specific problem you are trying to solve.  I want to explore the key differences between the two to form a more balanced argument when discussing with a Tableau enthusiast who claims that  "Tableau is better" (very funny). Just so you know, I don’t outright hate Tableau. In fact, I use it for most of the dashboards I create at work. The Tableau community is fantastic, and the tool allows for highly customized vis

 Finding a pathway from start to finish As a member of many projects in my lifetime—from growing bean plants in a Styrofoam cup for Science class to working on an Accounting group project during my university days—I think I know a thing or two about working on something with a deadline. However, outside of the well-structured educational system projects are not as neatly defined and new problems can arise along the way. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to ensure that the final product meets the expectations of stakeholders at a reasonable time.  It turns out that this is easier said that done, there are always backstories of what went wrong behind the scenes even in the most successful projects. For example: The Sydney Opera House faced massive design complexities, budget overruns, delays, and political turmoil, but through innovative solutions, public support, and perseverance, it overcame these challenges to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an iconic cultural l