But as Søndergaard suggested, data is not like oil.  For one thing, oil doesn’t go anywhere.  It sits in the ground until it is brought up and used.  It can be used all at once or just some at a time while the rest remains waiting. Oil can be stored forever (or at least for a very long time) without significant problems.  Data, by contrast, is like an avocado.  It has a clearly defined shelf-life.  Data collected and used too early is pointless.  Data harvested too late is often of no use at all. Søndergaard’s company runs what is billed as the world’s largest online wine marketplace.  In his business, it does no good at all to rate a wine that does not exist as all the stock is gone or to recommend a wine to a customer that has already purchased something to drink for dinner.  What matters is knowing what is needed in the moment when the information is “ripe.”