Big data, bigger challenges: how to get AI-ready

By the end of this year our world will have enough data to fill the Grand Canyon. Or, if you prefer, 17.5 billion 10TB hard drives. That’s an eye-popping number. How much data do you collect? How do you make sense of it? And how do you get it ready for AI and agentic AI, no matter which industry you’re in?

In this newsletter we will answer questions like these and point you to expert advice and resources. Please don’t be shy about leaving comments below. We're here to help and want the information we share to be useful to you. 

From toothache to an ailing heart: your unstructured data has a story

Unstructured data is unruly. We’re talking about the emails, audio recordings, medical images, and social media posts you collect and are notoriously difficult to analyze. But what this data lacks in structure it offers in richness. As a healthcare IT director told us, harnessing it with AI can save your heart.

A tooth infection was impacting the fluid around a person's heart and there was never a connection—until we ran structured and unstructured data analysis and said, ‘Aha!’ We pulled in these databases, looked through the notes, and connected the dots. If you have an infection and a heart problem, what’s the likelihood that they’re related events? The technology spat out a 97% likelihood so then the doctors went, ‘Oh, that’s the problem.’ Yes, the technology figured it out.

What can your data tell you and how far can AI and agentic AI take you? Here’s how three CIOs and data-savvy execs are making unstructured data AI-ready, in their own words. 

Speed up sales meeting prep time with unstructured data. Here's how

Unstructured data holds a goldmine of insights that can transform how your sales teams operate. Watch how agentic AI, acting on complex PDFs and financial reports, gives a boost of confidence to sales reps as they prepare for client meetings in this real-world scenario.

Join the Datablazer community

Most online data communities bring like-minded specialists together. The Datablazer community was created for a variety of roles. Its secret sauce is in the blend: CIOs, CDOs, data analysts, implementation consultants, product managers, data architects—everyone’s welcome to share, learn, and get inspired. 

Here’s how Mike Rogan, founder and CEO of Wayfinder, described what it means to be a Datablazer.

Datablazers empower the community to harness the full potential of unified data, driving cross-functional success and innovation.

Become a Datablazer today to access free resources, learn the ins and outs of Data Cloud, inspire others, and network in monthly meetups or online. (And did we mention the occasional schwag? You didn’t read it here.)  

Not convinced yet? Here are 6 reasons to become a Datablazer.

Datablazin’ events and resources 

• Webinar: "Unlock the Power of Unstructured Data for Agentic AI: New Insights from CIOs.” Wednesday, February 20 at 9am PT. Find out how CIOs and data execs harness the potential of unstructured data and AI. Sign up for free!
• LinkedIn Live Session: “Unlock the Full Value of Your Data with Zero Copy.” Wednesday, February 26, 10 am - 12 pm your local time. Learn how to virtualize and share data with zero copy and a few clicks. Sign up now for free! 
• The TDX conference is coming to San Francisco March 5-6. Bootcamps, hackathons, keynotes and breakouts are sure to keep architects, administrators, and data cloud consultants well-networked and happy during the two-day event. Check out the data sessions and register now!
• ICYMI, our webinar “5 Tips for Getting Started with Data Cloud and Agentforce” is now available on demand. Watch it here.
• Did you know? Salesforce has been named a leader in the latest IDC MarketScape Customer Customer Data Platform evaluations for B2B and B2C users. Get the full scoop.

Datablazin’ readings

Here’s what we’re digging this month. 

• Get practical advice about Data Cloud with Hands-On Salesforce Data Cloud by Joyce Kay Avila, published by O’Reilly. This detailed book was created to show architects, developers, administrators, data engineers and marketers how to ingest, store, and manage real-time customer data.

• Want to dig deeper into unstructured data? You can’t go wrong with Unstructured Data Analytics by Jean Paul Isson, whether you’re a techie or not so much. 

Are you doing something new this year with your data? Let us know in the comments. We read every comment and may feature your use case in a future newsletter.

This newsletter has been curated by Asa Murphy.