Host Richard Ellis interviews Michael Stahl, CEO and founder of Wombat Data, about why executives still struggle to get real answers from data despite modern dashboards, data lakes, and BI tools.

Stahl describes persistent issues across industries: siloed enterprise systems, closed or monetized APIs, difficult and costly integration, and the need to incorporate external datasets (e.g., CMS, demographic, geospatial) that are hard to organize and keep current. He explains the “streetlight effect,” where teams analyze only easily accessible data, and shares a healthcare example where layering drive-time and geospatial data helped explain patient no-shows.

Stahl says new AI capabilities can automate access and integration without migrations, keeping data live and enabling leaders to focus on better questions, a clear data strategy, and a few vital business signals rather than KPI proliferation.

Soundbites

• "Every executive has dashboards. Almost none have answers."
• "The parable is if somebody loses their keys, they actually look where the streetlight shines, because that's where the light is. But even if their keys may not be there, they look where they have the most ready access and visibility, even if that's not necessarily the best place to find good answers."
• "It's hard to know what you don't know."
• "You've got a very expensive Ferrari that's in the garage or just going to collect groceries, and we're not getting the highest and best use out of it."
• "Most people ready, fire, aim, and what you're asking them to do is ready, aim, fire."
• "We take the how off the table for you, and you can just focus on the why."
• "One data point may be interesting, but is oftentimes not useful. It's the collection of data points that actually helps us understand relationships."
• "What are the fewest variables that have the biggest impact and produce the clearest signal of success, health, and function in the team?"
• "KPI proliferation or dashboard proliferation actually creates more confusion than clarity."
• "If you dig and come to a point where your business, your team doesn't have the data it needs, it's probably out there, and people can help you find it, and you can access it."