As a business person, you probably have more data and more kinds of data available than ever before. But has it helped? Sometimes, maybe. But, for many executives it also has just been more fuel to feed the fire of their love/hate relationship with it. You love it when it gives you good information about which markets to pursue or how to compete more effectively. But you hate it when you can t get sales figures in time or worse still, when they don't reflect reality. This book was written for the executive who wants to understand the lifeblood of his/her company, wants to be able to make better decisions, and knows that managing information is the best way to protect and grow a business. This book is designed to help you as a business leader think about the use of data and its impact on your daily operation. In two sections and twelve chapters it provides practical guidance and balances the use of hard facts and your professional instincts; how to identify and focus on the numbers that matter for your organisation; how to overcome the obstacles to getting a complete view of your customer; how to meet risk and security standards; 12 steps to effective business performance management; and how to grow a data culture and how to make data work for you. Newly minted MBAs are known for saying, Just give me your number. Savvy managers know that it is not that simple. They also know that it is not that difficult. This book provides the wise counsel that every executive can use to manage his or her organisation's data more productively.