We have covered a great deal of ground in this book, and the diversion into physics and what we can learn from it may have surprised some readers – but why reinvent the wheel? Other disciplines such as physics have been around for much longer and are more formalised than where we find ourselves in data, so why not learn from them and from other professionals? We feel that when we started writing about data we were still in the Wild West stage of formalising data leadership and what it means for organisations. Time has definitely worked its magic, this area has moved on so fast and so many wonderful voices have joined in the conversation that the idea of using data as an asset and what that means in organisations have both developed considerably. That can only be a good thing!

We hope that we can continue to challenge ourselves in this discipline to learn from others both within the data space and also outside it, because then we can all become better.

We thought long and hard about what to call this book and finally decided on the title Halo Data because of its application to what we are all doing. Data hasn't changed, but hopefully this book will give you a different way of thinking about it that helps you. Halo data plays such a large part in championing the role that metadata and the ‘distance’ from the core data can have in using data and how it is described. The paradigm shift is about unlocking value. It isn't about data being the new whatever: it is about data being data and how it delivers value to the organisation.

Just thinking about data in a different way wasn't enough for us, because we also had to go through how you make it practical. If you don't use it, why bother collecting it in the first place? If nothing else sticks from reading this book, just remember that using the data to solve a problem or create value is what really matters.

The value proposition and the paradigm shift bring ethics into sharper focus because, while data can take us to new, exciting and innovative places, it can also take us into new, darker places.