Rule #1 of Data Analysis
- May 27
- 1 min read
"Comparison is the thief of joy."
That quote—often attributed to Theodore Roosevelt—rings true in life. But in the world of data analysis? The opposite can be true.
I’m no statistician, but in a college statistics class I received some of the most pragmatic advice ever regarding data analysis. The professor said that if we take nothing else away from his class, remember this:
“A number means nothing until it’s next to another number.”
It’s simple, but incredibly powerful. Context is everything. Think about it—does the number 100 mean a lot or a little?
• 100 car accidents in a small town in a day? Alarming.
• 100 grains of sand on a beach? Not noticeable.
Over the years, this mindset has helped me make better, faster decisions. When you’re buried in data, comparisons—especially historical trends—cut through the noise. They bring clarity. They tell a story.
So next time you're staring at a KPI, dashboard, or a mountain of data, remember: numbers alone don’t speak. It's the comparisons that give them meaning.
