With more data streaming in from more sources, in more varieties, and being used more broadly than ever by more constituents, ensuring high data quality is becoming an enterprise imperative. In fact, as data is increasingly appreciated as the most valuable asset a company can have, says DBTA columnist Craig S. Mullins, data integrity is not just an important thing; it’s the only thing. If the data is wrong, then there is no reason to even keep it, says Mullins.
In terms of customers, having the right name, title, physical location, email address, and social media handle shows that companies actually care to know who they are, and have a high level of attention detail. By contrast, incorrect data can also mean duplicate entries that can make it difficult for vendors to achieve a single version of the truth.
“The data is the raison d’etre for the database management system,” says Mullins. “That is, the only reasons we have a DBMS is to safely house corporate data and to be able to serve that data correctly and safely to the business stakeholders.” Even though there are a myriad of tasks undertaken by DBAs, assuring the accuracy and integrity of data is paramount, he adds.
Often, says Mullins, DBAs wrongly assume that performance monitoring and tuning is their most important mission, but while necessary, that is still not as critical as assuring data integrity.
Today, data quality solutions are available in the cloud as software as a service as well as on premise and support the necessary data integrity for critical systems, including customer relationship management, master data management, data governance initiatives, and database management.
Best Data Quality Solution
Quest Toad Data Point
FINALISTS
IBM InfoSphere Information Server for Data Governance
BackOffice Associates Data Stewardship Platform