I am not at all convinced that our ability to convert data to actionable decision making metrics is limited.

In fact, I do just that every day.

There are definitely limiting factors, but the ability to make use of the data is much stronger than people commonly believe.

For structured data you just need a good understanding of the data structures and their relationships. Unstructured data (tweets, statuses, etc.) is much more difficult but there are several technologies available and under development that tackle unstructured data specifically. This even includes some high end tools that monitor voice data.

If you have a specific data scenario in mind I can be more specific. If you'd like to arrange a call I'd be happy to provide more detail.