There seems to be a quest to move closer and closer to real time decision making. Gather data, analyze it, and make decisions instantly, preferably with the help oif expert systems. That makes some sense, and as shown in the article, it can allow analysts to respond to events very quickly, performing verification, fraud checks, or just about anything you can think of.

It's a good goal, and it can definitely help many companies make more informed decisions at any point in time. However there are problems as well. Sometimes short term data can fundamentally distort the picture of reality. Some of our large stock market meltdowns are the result of automated systems, perhaps not so much expert systems, as very quick reacting systems that might overvalue the last few pieces of data and make decisions that are less than optimal.

Read the rest of "Real Time Dangers" at SQLServerCentral.