02 Feb 2023
By Allen
0 Comments
Reimagining Your Brand for a New Vision and Mission

Reimagining Your Brand for a New Vision and Mission

Business, Websites,
Sometimes we start with a good plan and later get a better plan. That may mean renaming and rebranding your business or non-profit. I've been there with my own business and worked for businesses that went through the process. I'm helping a non-profit through this process now. It takes a lot of planning to do well. Naming and Re-naming In grad school, I was fascinated with naming and wrote a marketing paper about "The Art of Semonemics." I've got it on a 3.5 floppy disk somewhere. Semonemics comes from Greek "Semon" for sign and "nemeon" to appoint. It is the…
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19 Dec 2022
By Allen
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Great benefits for Non-profits with WordPress

Great benefits for Non-profits with WordPress

Ministry, Websites, , ,
Even though I'm retired, I often find myself helping non-profit organizations set up websites. My recommendation to most of them is to set up a WordPress site. Very few need the demands of more complex sites. The non-profits I help are usually Christian-based, which is not popular in some tech communities and outright targeted in some parts of the world where they operate. Using WordPress is accessible in all languages, stable and very affordable hosting is available. Overall, this allows me to remain useful and focus on work with purpose.Why WordPress? To start, over half of all new websites on…
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19 Jan 2019
By Allen
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Promoting IT Learning in 2019

Promoting IT Learning in 2019

Business, ,
I've been to so many user groups that have great attendance yet struggle to get speakers. IT is an industry that has been changing and growing ever since I started. Along with that change, there was always someone willing to share what they knew and help me learn.  I like to teach others because there is no way to go back in time and thank my teachers for the TRS-80 lessons, but I can pay it forward to the future generation of geeks. Each year, I start with some new personal goals and this year it involves learning more R…
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03 Apr 2018
By Allen
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How to get started with data analysis

Business, ,
I recently heard Paul Young, author of "The Shack" say that behind each of his books was a question.  I just finished a meeting with an executive and one of the questions he asked was “How do companies start with data analysis?"  We talked about that and other data topics, so I wanted to sum it up. Companies will get into data analysis when they have problems answering three basic questions: Where have we been? Where are we now? Where are we going? The first of these, “where have we been?” is asked when a Company needs to see their…
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11 Nov 2016
By Allen
End of Consulting Services

End of Consulting Services

Business
I want to start by saying thank you to all my customers through the years. You've trusted me to come into your company to solve problems with your data systems.  You've invited me to your homes, your dinners, birthday lunches and picnics. Like the Motley Crue concert tour 'All good things must end', for me consulting will end December 31, 2016. I started this company in November 2006 with a used laptop and a thousand bucks.  I've done a lot of great projects and made a lot of professional friends across the country. I will be working with current customers…
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23 Oct 2015
By Allen
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Allen Speaking at InnoTech – FREE Tickets!

Allen Speaking at InnoTech – FREE Tickets!

Business, Microsoft SQL Server, , ,
        November 3, 2015 Featuring This Session from Cognitive Information: Return on Data   Learn the basics of Business Intelligence, Big Data and getting return on the data in your company, with Allen Smith, MBA, MCTS, Business Intelligence Specialist, Cognitive Information, Inc.   CLICK HERE to register, and use discount code: SPKR  and receive complimentary admission to InnoTech Oklahoma*. OPENING KEYNOTE ANNOUNCED  Opening Keynote: 8am The Internet of Everything Featuring Leah Lewis, Managing Director of Cisco’s Public Sector Consulting Services and an Internet of Everything / Smart+Connected City Strategist And You Won't Want to Miss These Other Great Sessions:  Case Study: Seagate’s…
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15 Oct 2015
By Allen
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Startup Super Powers You Need

Startup Super Powers You Need

Business,
In November Cognitive Information will celebrate 9 years in business. This is quite an accomplishment considering that x% of new companies fail in the first year. In my recent presentation about 'So You Want to Be a SQL Consultant' we discussed the challenges of starting a company. In this article, I give an update on challenges and successes through the years. Power of No - Say yes to the things in your business that only you can do and say "No!" or "Not Now" to the other things.  Know where you need to spend your time and where you should…
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28 Apr 2015
By Allen
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Want to Be a SQL BI Consultant?

Want to Be a SQL BI Consultant?

Business, Downloads, Featured, , ,
  At the February meeting of the OKC SQL User Group, I presented a session on what it takes to become a consultant. After having done consulting for 8 years, I've learned a few things the hard way and still made a good go of it. Here is that presentation for download. [download id="870"]   This download does not constitute any legal or accounting advice.  By downloading you assume all risk for yourself getting into business, after all, that is part of being an entrepreneur. Best wishes in all your endeavors. Allen
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23 Aug 2014
By Allen
2 Comments
SQL Saturday 309 Downloads

SQL Saturday 309 Downloads

BI/DW Projects, Business, Microsoft SQL Server,
Downloads for SQL Saturday #309 in Oklahoma City are below. Thank you to all who attended. Thanks also to all the sponsors who help make these great events possible for the tech community.     Business Intelligence Basics: Finding Return on Data This session will you chart the waters through the sea of Business Intelligence (BI) options. IT departments need tools to turn data into useful information for users. Instead of ROI, this session talks about 'Return on Data' for IT Managers. In this session we look at the roles of data warehousing, big data and business intelligence systems. The…
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