To get the biggest bang for your analytics bucks, you want maximum flexibility when reporting and analyzing your data, right? That sounds good if you subscribe to an ad hoc, self-service approach to data. But is that the best way? Shouldn't IT manage the data to ensure the greatest security and reliability? Isn't the governed approach the way to go? Self-service vs. governed analytics. There's an undeniable tension between these two approaches, between IT and BI users, between the need for reliability and the desire for agility. Too often, this tug of war is depicted as a winner take all contest - either all analytics must be governed, or all analytics must be self-service. This doesn't have to be a zero-sum game. In our years of experience working with Oracle Analytics, Vlamis Software has found ways to give you the best of both worlds. In Part 1 of this two-part blog, I will look at these two ways of managing your analytics data, and in Part 2 offer ideas for how you can maximize your return with a blend of both approaches.