MARCH - MAY 20248GOVBUSINESS REVIEWHOW TO IMPLEMENT A SUCCESSFUL DATA STRATEGY : A SUCCESS STORYElizabeth Puchek, Chief Data Officer, USCISTechnological advancements in the past several years have accelerated dreams coming true for many in the data world. The ability to store huge amounts of data in clouds and access it all very quickly has been a game-changer. We're not limited to leveraging data that is days, weeks, and sometimes months old to make decisions. These dreams come true have also created some nightmares. We now have more data than we know what to do with. As more data is available in real-time, we're asking more and tougher questions. Demands on data analysts have become unrealistic. We're overwhelmed by possibility and a fear of missing out on the next big insight. This saga is familiar for many in the data world, and USCIS is no exception. While the challenge is complex, the solution is amazingly simple. Focus on your mission. Why does your organization exist? And how can data solve the challenges that prevent your organization from operating better. When I joined USCIS in 2018, I was blessed to join an organization that was naturally data-driven; USCIS knows how valuable our data are and are not afraid to invest in getting the most out of it. Consequently, I was blessed to find an organization that had already migrated all of its data into the cloud! At that time, such a concept was practically unheard of in the federal government. After launching the first USCIS Data Strategy in 2019--which doggedly focuses on the USCIS mission--we had a rally cry around four goals aimed at making USCIS data reliable, comprehensive, and used to make informed decisions at strategic operational levels. After three years of intensive investment, USCIS has made huge strides in accomplishing those goals as we near the launch of our second USCIS Data Strategy. Technology has enabled advancements in all four goals:1. Data Management: Modernize data infrastructure and improve data management practices­Although USCIS was already in the cloud, we needed to meet growing demand for data with a dynamic and scalable platform. Apache Spark with Databricks, cloud native data lake with Delta Lake, MLflow, and other tools became a crucial factor for the success of our programs.Deploying a new Data Migration Service (DMS) has enabled more frequent data refresh into our data lake. Now, all of our data is accessible from one place! With so much data, governance and knowing what we have can be a challenge. Master data management tools like Collibra, which automatically update data standards, policy, and access controls, allow us to safely leverage all that data. 2. Business Intelligence: Advance business Intelligence at all levels of USCIS­USCIS is no stranger to statistical reporting. We have extremely skilled statisticians and data analysts that query data stores thousands of times a years. Data visualization tools like Tableau have transformed static spreadsheet-centric reports into dynamic, interactive windows of insight. Connecting Tableau to our enterprise data lake, which enables automatic updates, has Elizabeth PuchekIN MY OPINIONBy
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