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THE DATA ADMINISTRATION NEWSLETTER – TDAN.com |
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Data Quality: The Field Guide
Reviewed Published: January 1, 2001 Order this book through Amazon.com today!
Author: Thomas C. Redman, Ph.D. Like the weather, many people talk about data quality, but few do anything about it. Almost no subject in information management inspires more complaints and less action, but the need for data quality improvement is growing constantly, and executives are being forced to address this unglamorous issue. Companies are faced with restating earnings, resubmitting regulatory paperwork, correcting erroneous information on corporate web sites and mailing information to non-existent “customers”. All of these actions are the result of poor data quality, and they lead to the unnecessary expenditure of millions of dollars each year. Every organization develops data, uses data and exports data – all without verifying its validity and usefulness. This is one of the more wasteful practices in modern organizations, and this book can assist companies in stopping the flow of poor data and its associated costs. Dr. Thomas Redman has made a career of improving data quality, and this book “Data Quality: The Field Guide” offers fundamental guidance for starting and maintaining a data quality initiative in any organization. Starting with an overview of data quality and its relevance to organizations, “Data Quality: The Field Guide” explains the need for understanding data and quality issues in the context of executive actions, and discusses the “social issues” that often prevent organizations from facing and solving their data quality problems. The text presents the most common data quality problems and offers many and varied suggestions for improvement. Each chapter is devoted to a single issue, and the text can be read from cover-to-cover or a reader can simply access the issue/chapter that is needed. The book not only presents the issues; the suggestions for improvement are demonstrated in detailed instructions and each technique is analyzed for effectiveness in situations. This book is strongly recommended for all leaders in information management, and for those executives charged with the responsibility of ensuring profitability and enhanced performance from quality data. Go to Current Issue | Go to Issue Archive Recent articles by Anne Marie Smith
Anne Marie Smith -
Anne Marie Smith has been an IS professional since 1983, within various industries. She has demonstrated leadership and technical skills and has extensive experience in the areas of data administration, data architecture, methodology, business process analysis, data warehouse architecture and metadata management. Anne Marie’s Areas of Expertise include: Data Administration Organization, Business Process Evaluation and Analysis, Logical Data Modeling, Enterprise Data Management/Stewardship, Metadata Management, Client Focus and Collaboration, Project Management, Data Warehouse Architecture, Analytical and Critical Thinking. Anne Marie holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master's of Business Administration degrees, both from La Salle University in Philadelphia, PA. She is active in the Philadelphia area chapter of the Data Management Association (DAMA) and has served on the Board of DAMA International. Anne Marie is also a frequent contributor to the Data Administration Newsletter (http://www.tdan.com). Anne Marie speaks at industry and academic conferences on the topics of metadata management, data and process modeling techniques, business aspects of electronic commerce and data warehousing. Currently, Anne Marie is Assistant Professor of Management Information Systems (MIS) at La Salle University (http://www.lasalle.edu) in Philadelphia, PA. She is also a consultant in her areas of expertise with a Philadelphia-area information management consultancy. |
