Ten Data Commandments

2 min readJul 8, 2020

Dueling, as we are reminded in the cultural phenomenon that is Hamilton, was a critical part of America’s colonial and early national society. As we are reminded in song 15 of Act 1, even this most uncivilized way to resolve conflict had rules. Below is my re-imagining of these commandments when we do data analyses. While we may not always get to be in the room where the analytics happens, we can be satisfied knowing that our right hand man and obedient servants will have these rules on our side when we tell our story.

In the tune of Ten Duel Commandments

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

It’s the ten data commandments

Number one

The challenge, define your expectation,

If it can’t be disproven, no need for further action

Number two

If it can, find some data, that’s your second

Your sources to find the insights to be reckoned

Number three

Make sure the data really makes sense

Make sure counts add up to one hundred percent

And missing’s are found and addressed

Data errors are common, especially when off the shelf

Most can be fixed, just make sure they’re caught

Number four

Do some exploratory analysis, find sample means

See where there’s variation and factor correlations

Plot some data in graphs, check if there’s a possibility

To run statistical models, and test your claims’ plausibility

Five

Code predictors and your audiences defined

And pick the right outcomes, your dependent KPIs

Number six

Script the runs, leaving in-line notes

So you know what you did

Making sure you closed all brackets and quotes

Seven

Export the results

Check for statistical significance

To see if your hunch with data can indeed be supported

Number eight

Before sharing results with your associate

Do robustness checks, see if your story still holds weight

To your team

Here are the findings, first

Can we agree our data is clean and bulletproof, no.

But we did what we could with what we had, sure

To tell a story, we know we could poke some holes

But defensible, and one we can show is valid within reason and actionable

Okay, so we’re doin’ this

Number nine

Share your top insights, the wow findings

Confident you did your math right

Then count

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Number

Ten slides

Send

To learn more about how to communicate your findings, here are some guidelines and a checklist for effective data communication.