On July 26, San Diego Workforce Partnership (SDWP) Senior Database Developer Jeremy Bante presented “Big Data for the Little Guy” at the 2017 FileMaker Developer Conference (DevCon), the premier annual gathering of FileMaker developers from around the world for sharing expertise and new ideas. More than 1,600 attendees gathered in Phoenix this year—a new record for the conference.
Bante is broadly respected as an expert on best practices and data analysis among the FileMaker community. He 
was invited to speak on how the FileMaker community can follow the lead of large organizations extracting high value information from:
- Big data: data sets that are so large or complex that traditional data processing applications are inadequate
- Business intelligence: a data analysis process aimed at boosting business performance by helping organizations make more informed decisions
- Data science: the study of where information comes from, what it represents and how it can be turned into a valuable resource in the creation of business and IT strategies
In “Big Data for the Little Guy,” Bante described several techniques for using data analysis in FileMaker to inform better decisions, even with severely limited resources. Many of these techniques are the same methods Bante is implementing in program management software at SDWP. These tools help SDWP identify and deliver services that lead to better employment outcomes for job seekers and businesses in the San Diego region, while making efficient use of taxpayer dollars and other funding resources. One such tool, SDWP’s CONNECT2Careers customized web-based portal, was recently praised by the Brookings Institution.
Attendees left the session understanding:
- How to focus your analysis efforts on the decisions you make
- What lessons from Big Data work well in FileMaker applications
- The most valuable data analysis methods to start building into your solutions
- Next steps for enabling more data analysis among the FileMaker community
Bante was one of four SDWP team members to attend the conference. The team was exposed to in-depth sessions, special interest meetings, face-to-face consultations and opportunities to network with many FileMaker staff and other experienced FileMaker developers. Each attendee chose from over 50 sessions to improve understanding and efficiency in developing FileMaker apps and solutions that can be used by SDWP.