The use of “big data” is an inevitable consequence of museum digitization efforts. Starting with the Data Center project of the Shanghai Museum, this paper sets forth how Data Center reinforces the collection and storage of museum’s data as well as employs intelligent analytical methods based on the data to dig more deeply into valuable information with the purpose of playing an extensive role in the museum’s operation. Big data methods analyze the museum’s daily operation to form a useful data model and to lay a preliminary foundation for the digitization operation framework of the museum. This work also introduces the effective data mining tools and proposes future big data development strategies for museum use.