What is reference data?
David Loshin defines reference data and sets up a working definition for his next set of posts.
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How to keep your data migration project on the rails
Why do so many data migration projects fall off the rails? I’ve been asked this question a lot and whilst there are lots of reasons, perhaps the most common is a bias towards finding the wrong kind of data quality gaps. Projects often tear off at breakneck speed, validating and cleansing
Data diversity
I have consulted on enough enterprise system implementations to know that there's anything but uniformity on how to roll out a new set of mature applications. I've seen plenty of different methodologies and technologies for relatively similar back-office systems (read: ERP and CRM). Of course, some were better than others, although
The low ethics of high-frequency trading
Imagine if your ability to feed your family depended upon how fast you could run. Imagine the aisles of your grocery store as lanes on a running track. If you can outrun your fellow shoppers, grab food off the shelves and race through the checkout at the finish line, then
Cracking the code to successful conversions: establish testing and QA approach
Testing, testing, testing...do we really need testing? The answer is YES! Always! The big questions are: 1. How do I test? 2. What do I test? 3. Do we just do program testing or do we include testing data quality? 4. What about volume testing? 5. Who signs off on after-test completion?
5 common data quality project mistakes (and how to resolve them)
Over the course of the last eight years, I've interviewed countless data quality leaders and learned so much about the common mistakes and failures they've witnessed in past projects. In this post I wanted to highlight five of the common issues and give some practical ideas for resolving them: #1: Not connecting
Better memory through data
We all lose things. Some of us are just better at finding them than others. I had to remind myself of that fact the other night in Las Vegas. I went to dinner with a friend at Brio, an Italian restaurant in the Town Square shopping center on The Strip. As
Mapping ethics in a data-driven world
In my previous post, I examined ethics in a data-driven world with an example of how Facebook experiments on its users. Acknowledging the conundrum facing users of free services like Facebook, Phil Simon commented that “users and customers aren’t the same thing. Maybe users are there to be, you know... used.” What about when a
Cracking the code to successful conversions: establish issue management
Let’s get this out of the way: EVERY PROJECT HAS ISSUES at one time or another. Sometimes a technical issue may need to be communicated to the project manager, escalated to gain resolution or just communicated within the project team. I seem to always hit issues during testing, and these issues never fail
Do you have a data quality alliance strategy?
Whether you’re embarking on a data quality mission for the first time or your presence is well known, it never hurts to have allies throughout your organization. By finding and gaining these supporters, you can gain influence and achieve your data quality goals. It may be difficult due to the