From Data Lakes to Data Dams: Unlocking the True Power of Market Research

In the evolving world of modern market research, data lakes have become synonymous with opportunity. Vast, flexible, and scalable, these repositories are central to how organizations store and manage information. Yet, despite their promise, many research teams struggle to turn that stored data into meaningful business impact. That’s where a new concept—the data dam—offers a smarter solution.

John Bird, Executive Vice President at Infotools, wrote for ESOMAR's Research World on how to best utilize market research data that is stored in an organization’s data lake.

The Problem with Just "Storing" Data

Today’s enterprises are awash in data. From CRM systems and behavioral signals to sales logs and survey feedback, everything flows into data lakes. These lakes allow organizations to ingest information without enforcing strict formats. But simply storing data is no longer enough.

"To create value, you need tools that can intelligently prepare, analyze, and activate this data."

While Business Intelligence (BI) tools like Power BI and Tableau have been useful for financial and operational metrics, they often fall short with market research. Survey data—especially with its open-ends, nested variables, and sampling weights—requires far more than dashboard visualizations.

"Trying to analyze complex survey data with general-purpose BI tools is like forcing industrial-grade water through a recreational dam."

Introducing the Data Dam: A Better Infrastructure for Insights

Think back to the 19th century: dams were vital for transporting logs, generating power, and enabling construction. But the logs weren’t the final goal—it was what those logs built. Similarly, data dams don’t just store market research data—they direct and amplify it to build actionable insights.

"Like a well-engineered dam, a data dam can control the flow, build momentum, and direct the power of data toward insight-driven growth."

With the right tools in place, organizations can move beyond passive storage and start strategically channeling their data. Data dams enable:

• Efficient integration of diverse research inputs

• Metadata preservation to protect data structure

• Recency checks to ensure up-to-date insights

• Better AI integration and automation

• Actionable outputs tailored for decision-makers

The Role of AI in the New Data Stack

AI is transforming how insights teams work. From summarizing open-ended responses to detecting emerging trends, AI has become a critical enabler. But it’s only as good as the data it receives.

"Even the most advanced models can produce results that are misleading or incomplete without a platform that preserves the structure and complexity of research data."

Organizations must build the right infrastructure to support AI-driven insights. That means going beyond traditional BI tools and investing in purpose-built platforms that can harness the full richness of research data.

Closing Thoughts

The future of market research isn’t just about collecting more data—it’s about building the right systems to channel that data into strategic action. A data dam does more than store information. It provides control, structure, and purpose—ensuring that the research your team works so hard to collect actually drives business results.

Read the full article, in Research World
.