I think GP's point is that is not about the perceived value of real time data/analytics, but rather, its actual value. Decision makers may ask for RT or NRT, but most of the time won't make a decision or action in a timeframe that actually justifies RT/NRT data/analytics.
For most operations RT/NRT data stuff normally is about novelty/vanity rather than a real existing business need.
The article is separating "operational" and "analytical" use-cases.
IIUC analytical = "what question are you trying to answer" and in analytics, RT/NRT is absolutely novelty/vanity. Operational = "what action are you trying to take" and it makes sense to want to have up-to-date data when, for example, running ML models, triggering notifications, etc...
Yeah, totally. I should've specified "analytical operations", as in, updating dashboards and other non-time-critical data processing that eventually feed into decision making. That's were devs or decision makers asking for RT/NRT makes no sense.
For most operations RT/NRT data stuff normally is about novelty/vanity rather than a real existing business need.