Unstructured data: A guide for businesses

Whether you know it or not, your organization likely has a great deal of unstructured data. These materials may hold valuable insights about your business, like contracts that lay out job responsibilities, social media posts that reveal reactions to your products and services, or mockups of possible new branding.

But if you don’t even know you have it, how can you find and capitalize on each piece of unstructured data? This guide will help.

Jump to a section...

Unstructured data: What it is and why it's important
Structured and unstructured data: What makes the difference
Using unstructured data: How to analyze and optimize
Dark data: Finding value you didn't know you had
Ricoh solutions help you do more with unstructured data

Unstructured data is any type of data that cannot fit neatly into a database. For instance, a database could contain all the relevant info about a single sales transaction (date, time, buyer, price, and so on). It could not do the same for an audio recording of customer feedback about that transaction. The latter example is no less useful, it simply requires more work to access the insight it contains.

Challenges of using unstructured data

Different types have widely varying storage needs
It may include info with its own security and compliance requirements
It can be difficult to access when not properly cataloged

Common types of unstructured data

Multimedia files

AI-powered processing techniques are advancing fast. However, it’s still difficult to search and categorize files like images and videos. These may include important product documentation or even recordings you must legally retain.

Text documents

Databases typically have room for strings of text. They can’t often host whole documents in their native form, however. That means Word files, emails, and scanned documents are commonly unstructured data.

Websites and social media

If you have a web presence, you have unstructured data. HTML pages, design docs, and many of the files you host on your site fit the bill. This also goes for the posts, images, and videos you share on social media.

Did You Know? PaperStream Capture makes it easy to digitize your paper documents and retain their data for further use. Find out more and download here.

Previous Section

Scanner Guide

Unstructured Data: A Guide for Businesses
Back To Top
Next Section

Structured and unstructured data

What makes the difference

One way to understand the breadth and utility of unstructured data is to contrast it with structured data. Both are useful for increasing efficiency and doing analysis. However, they must be handled in different ways for the best possible results.

Common types of structured data

SQL databases
Excel spreadsheets
Metatags for search filtering

Distinctions between structured and unstructured data

Management

Structured data must be stored in a location that supports its format. One common example is data warehouses. On the other hand, unstructured data can be stored more flexibly: in a file structure on your network system, in a data lake, or so on.

Tools

Search query language (SQL) is one of the most common languages used for structured data. Database software such as MySQL can then develop and maintain SQL databases. Meanwhile, handling unstructured data may require a scanner, social media searches, or various other approaches.

Leveraging

Machine learning tools can process vast quantities of structured data in a short period of time. Unstructured data requires a specialized approach for each type. However, the potential insights that can be gleaned from that data make the effort worthwhile.

Read more about critical differences between these data types in Structured vs Unstructured Data: 4 Key Distinctions.

Previous Section

Unstructured data

What it is and why it’s important
Back To Top
Next Section

Using unstructured data

How to analyze and optimize

To get value from your organization’s unstructured data, you must know how to break it down and find that value. That’s where unstructured data analytics comes in. This refers to organizing the data and then using both knowledge and automated tools to find the patterns it contains. The more data you can extract and compare, the better.

How unstructured data can be helpful

It can help companies understand sentiment toward their products
It can help analyze weaknesses in your cybersecurity posture
It can help you find new opportunities to grow your business

How to analyze unstructured data

Manual inspection

All unstructured data needs some kind of interpretation. Using an expert to parse each piece of data can be time-consuming and expensive. But for document types that are still difficult to analyze automatically, it may be the best solution.

Text mining

Specialized software can pick up patterns in text and surface relevant info. This may include contact information as well as specific words and phrases you request. Once the software has pulled out these bits of info, they can be stored as metadata in a structured database.

Sentiment analysis

It can be difficult to determine how people feel about an issue without relying on anecdotes or extensive surveys. Sentiment analysis lets you find positive or negative words, as well as more complex phrases, to turn text into data points on how people feel. It’s often used on public social media posts for the broadest possible base.

Read about how to do more with unstructured data in Making Use of Unstructured Data: Analytics and Applications.

Did You Know? Ricoh data management solutions can help you improve efficiencies and reduce costs. Click here to learn more.

Modern businesses generate and use massive amounts of data. Sometimes that data isn’t properly processed or is corrupted. Sometimes, its workflow goes awry and it’s simply forgotten. Learning how to find your business’ dark data will help you capitalize on these assets while ensuring compliance.

Common types of dark data

Corrupted or poorly labeled files
Misscanned documents that aren’t caught
High-quality data that was stored improperly

Managing your organization’s dark data

Know how it's created

The first step in finding dark data is knowing the processes that may create it. Once you identify potential sources of dark data, such as improperly documented workflows, you will have an easier time tracking it down.

Illuminate your dark data

Set aside regular times to go through data stores and classify their contents. Wherever you find misplaced data, move it to its proper location. Maintain a logical map and break down data silos wherever possible.

Prevent dark data

A well-defined, easy-to-follow data management policy is your best defense. Employees need to know how to treat any piece of information that enters the organization. That includes steps for proper storage, such as where and how long to retain data.

Read more about dark data in Dark Data: What It Is and How to Shed a Light On It.

Previous Section

Using unstructured data

How to analyze and optimize
Back To Top

Ricoh solutions help you do more with unstructured data

Unstructured data must be processed before it can benefit your organization. But the right tools and partners can make that extra step a lighter lift. That’s why we’re proud to recommend RICOH fi Series scanners to companies that want to turn their paper documents into digital assets with the most accuracy and efficiency possible. In addition, PaperStream Capture software is the ideal way to organize and process digitized documents, including OCR that produces reliably high-quality text and metatags.

For more information on how to build value from your organization’s unstructured data, get in touch with us today.

Note: Information and external links are provided for your convenience and for educational purposes only, and shall not be construed, or relied upon, as legal or financial advice. PFU America, Inc. makes no representations about the contents, features, or specifications on such third-party sites, software, and/or offerings (collectively “Third-Party Offerings”) and shall not be responsible for any loss or damage that may arise from your use of such Third-Party Offerings. Please consult with a licensed professional regarding your specific situation as regulations may be subject to change.

Unstructured data: A guide for businesses

Scanner Guide