Opening Cross: Good King (Of Proper Data Usage) Wenceslas

Good King Wenceslas looked out,
On the eve of Christmas,
Occupiers all about,
Protesting but listless,
Brightly shone his terminal,
Lighting up the gloom, a
Cheap display they’d given him,
To replace his Bloomberg.

“Hither, data guy,” he said.
“What’s this sad device?”
“Sire, it has all that you need,
For only half the price.
Quotes and research, charts and news,
All of these included.
It does the job and saves us cash,
That’s what we concluded.”

“Bring me flesh and bring me wine.
Bring me back my Bloomberg.”
On and on Wenceslas raged
At the hapless data nerd.
“But sire,” he said, “I promise you,
This terminal’s a gem.
Besides, you only used Bloomberg
For newswires and to send IMs.”

“Very well,” Wenceslas said,
“I suppose I have to try it.
After all, our budget’s small,
We’re still on data diet.
Set it up and switch me on,
Entitle me for data.
Let’s get all the exchanges now
And argue payments later.”

“Sorry, sire,” said data guy.
“Things are getting stricter.
I can give you some exchanges,
But others, I’ll restrict you.
We must keep track of who gets what,
And where they send their data.
We paid a major fine last year,
And this year could be greater.”

“So if you don’t keep track of spend,
And what you pay for content,
You could lose your bonus check
And fall behind on your rent.
We all must be more sensible,
And abide by best practice.
Can’t leave things to chance and take
The attitude of hit-or-miss.”

Wenceslas agreed and said,
“How else can I aid you
To help us keep our costs in check
And make sure we get paid?
I’m only trying to make a buck
By trading puts and calls.
So tell me what I have to do,
To keep our costs down overall.”

“Listen up,” said data guy,
“Here’s some things you can do.
First of all, self-certify
The stuff you really use.
If you don’t need it, switch it off.
Make others do the same.
We’ll track how much you really use,
And those who waste, we’ll name and shame.”

Said Wenceslas, “I will not take
For granted what I use.
I’ll justify how much I spend,
And mind my Ps and Qs.
Report usage, pay my bills,
Comply with every license.
We can cure our data ills,
With just a little common sense.

That’s the tale of Wenceslas,
Who learned to love restrictions.
And saved some cash by cutting back
His data predilections.
So follow in his noble lead
And suffer not frustration.
For what you save will fund your firm’s
Growth and innovation.

Almost done, but not so fast!
We have more treats for you.
Like our Commodities webcast,
And our Year in Review.
So stuff the turkey, pour the wine,
May all be of good cheer.
To all a Merry Christmas time,
And a Happy New Year.