If Data Is the New Oil, Why Are We Still Drilling with Teaspoons?
Despite billions of money invested in modern data stacks, we still see:
- Siloed systems
- Redundant pipelines
- Reports no one trusts
- AI initiatives that stall before delivering ROI
If we believe data is the new oil, then we need to start refining it into business-ready data — not just moving it around.
We’re Refining Without Knowing the Fuel We Need
Too many teams are still laying pipelines, spinning up data lakes, and launching GenAI experiments before asking a more strategic question:
What kind of value are we actually trying to produce?
You wouldn’t build a refinery without knowing if you need jet fuel, diesel, or plastics. But that’s exactly what’s happening in data and AI today.
Gartner predicts that 30% of GenAI projects will be abandoned after proof of concept — not because the models are wrong, but because the data wasn’t ready, the value wasn’t clear, or the costs weren’t justifiable.¹
This isn’t a tooling issue — it’s a strategic data foundation issue. And solving it starts with building reusable data products aligned to business outcomes.
Data Products: Turning Raw Data Into Business-Ready Data
Let’s extend the oil metaphor.
- Pipelines move the crude.
- Refineries create products.
And your data products? They’re the refined, business-ready data that actually powers decisions, analytics, and AI.
But not all data products are created equal.
A real, enterprise-grade reusable data product should be:
- Structured & standardized – AI-ready, no rework required
- Governed & secure – with ownership, access policies, and lineage
- Discoverable & enriched – searchable with business and technical metadata
- Reusable – across teams, tools, and use cases
- Outcome-oriented – tied to a real business value stream
This is how you turn disconnected datasets into a scalable portfolio of business-ready data.
Because data doesn’t create value. Well-designed, reusable data products do.
Even the Best Fuel Needs a Business Destination
Here’s the hard truth: even with great data products in place, many organizations still struggle to get traction — because the business case is missing.
Too many initiatives start with tools, models, or pipelines — instead of asking:
- What problem are we solving?
- What value do we expect to deliver?
- How will we measure impact?
This is why we built One Data’s Business Case Builder — to align every data and AI initiative with measurable business value from day one.
One Data’s Business Case Builder: Strategy, Not Guesswork
The Business Case Builder helps leaders go beyond “data readiness” and focus on value readiness. It enables your teams to:
- Define high-impact use cases
- Align business and technical stakeholders
- Quantify ROI and expected outcomes
- Track performance over time
- Reuse proven business cases across teams and functions
Organizations using the Business Case Builder have seen:
- 60% faster time-to-value
- 40% fewer misaligned projects
- 25% increase in operational efficiency
You wouldn’t refine oil without knowing who needs the fuel.
Why manage data that way?
From Teaspoons to Refineries to Reusable Value
Let’s reimagine the journey to data value:
Teaspoons → manual reporting, fragmented data
Barrels → massive pipelines, little refinement
Refineries → governed, business-ready data products
Fuel → accelerated AI, automated operations, real business impact
This is how data becomes a product.
And this is how data becomes a multiplier — not a cost center.
Final Thought: Data Is the New Oil. But Only If You Refine It.
In 2025, the most successful organizations won’t be those with the biggest data lakes.
They’ll be the ones with the clearest value streams, the most reusable data products, and a consistent pipeline of business-ready data aligned to outcomes.
At One Data, we help you:
- Define your business case before investing
- Build trusted, governed data products in weeks
- Accelerate AI and analytics with reusable, AI-ready assets
- Track impact, adoption, and ROI — all in one platform
Because it’s time to stop drilling with teaspoons.
It’s time to treat data like the fuel it is.
Ready to turn your data into business-ready products that scale AI and value delivery?
Curious about how this connects to AI? Check out our companion article: AI Is Only as Smart as Your Data Strategy