In the latest hot topics in business, it’s hard to miss the phrases ‘big data’, ‘data science’, and ‘(HR) analytics’. In their 2011 reports McKinsey & Co described this big data as the next big thing for innovation, competition, and productivity (Manyika et al., 2011). But how does this match with HR; after all people are unique and unpredictable and can’t be quantified, can they?