Let's explore the wonderful world of data quality attributes through a fun little story!
Once upon a time, deep in the magical forests of Data Land, there lived a wise old wizard named Quintius. Despite his ancient age, Quintius was still as sharp as a tack and obsessed with making sure all the data creatures in the forest maintained high standards.
You see, the forest was home to all sorts of crazy data critters - from the number-crunching Calculators to the chart-whizzing Visualizers. And keeping their diverse talents in order was no easy feat. That's why Quintius established his sacred guidelines, the Six Pillars of Data Quality.
The first pillar was Accuracy, personified by a nerdy little mole aptly named Fact-Checker. If any data creature tried to fudge the numbers or report incorrect details, Fact-Checker would furiously emerge and set them straight.
Then there was Completeness, embodied by a squirrel with a massive "nutkin" database in her belly. She'd meticulously ensure no data points were missing, because an incomplete record was simply unacceptable in Data Land.
The third pillar was Consistency, watched over by a strict drill sergeant chameleon. This reptilian ruler made sure all the creatures always stuck to the same standards, formats, and definitions across the forest. No random rule-breaking allowed!
Integrity was personified by a stalwart oak tree, serving as the wise root system that prevented any duplicate, conflicting or corrupted data from spreading its branches.
Timeliness fell under the jurisdiction of a frantic rabbit who was always checking his watch and carrot-powered calendar. Stale, outdated data had no place in Data Land - this bunny kept everyone on a tight, up-to-date schedule.
Last but not least was Validity, governed by a hawk with razor-sharp vision. From high above, she'd swoop down and strike any data that failed to comply with the forest's established rules and constraints.
Thanks to the wizardly teachings of Quintius and his Six Pillars, Data Land forest maintained a stellar reputation for impeccable, trustworthy data. Those critters may have been quirky, but they knew quality when they saw it!
How the Nerdy Mole, Squirrel, Chameleon and Friends Kept Forest Data Pristine
Six Pillars of Data Quality from the whimsical forests of Data Land:
Accuracy (Fact-Checking Mole) This refers to how faithfully and precisely the data values reflect the real-world entity or concept being represented. The mole acts as the chief fact-checker, verifying that all recorded information matches ground truth through rigorous validation processes like data lining, authentication, and reality checks.
Completeness (Squirrel with Nutkin Database) Completeness is about having all required data values present with no missing entries or attributes. The squirrel ensures comprehensive population by cross-checking data sets against established schemas, master data, and defined completeness rules. Her massive nutkin belly stores all the "nuts and bolts" required for entirety.
Consistency (Drill Sergeant Chameleon) The chameleon lays down the law on consistency by enforcing standard formats, definitions, calculations, and integrity constraints across all data assets in the forest. It prevents rogue variations from cropping up through robust master data management and governing principles.
Integrity (Wise Oak Tree) This wise old tree safeguards integrity by ensuring data is whole, accurate, and maintains relational integrity across entities. Its root system traps and prevents duplicate, conflicting or corrupt data from polluting the forest. It preserves integrity constraints and business rules.
Timeliness (Clock-Watching Rabbit) In Data Land, outdated or stale data is considered stale carrots - unfit for consumption! The timely rabbit keeps a keen eye on data freshness, monitoring and reporting on data currency and how up-to-date records are based on defined service level agreements.
Validity (Hawk Enforcer) From the skies, the hawk acts as the quality enforcer - using its laser-sharp vision to identify and strike down any data that violates defined business rules, constraints or falls outside of permissible ranges and values. It upholds adherence to syntax rules, standards and specifications.
let's look at some examples where data meets or violates the Six Pillars of Data Quality in the whimsical world of Data Land:
Accuracy (Fact-Checking Mole 👍)
Customer age = 35 (Matches birth records, mole approves!)
Product price = $14.99 (Verified against master price list)
Accuracy (Fact-Checking Mole 👎)
Shipping address = "123 Fairytale Ln" (No such place exists!)
Employee salary = $150,000 (Entry level role, mole call shenanigans)
Completeness (Squirrel with Nutkin Database 👍)
Sales Order: OrderID, Product, Quantity, Date, Customer (All required attributes populated completely)
Completeness (Squirrel with Nutkin Database 👎)
Account Record: Name, Address, (Missing contact info and balance) (Squirrel scurries to fill in the blanks)
Consistency (Drill Sergeant Chameleon 👍)
Product Descriptions: "4K Ultra HD TV" and "4K UHD Television" (Chameleon enforces "4K Ultra High Definition TV" standard)
Consistency (Drill Sergeant Chameleon 👎)
Date Formats: "12/31/2023", "31-Dec-2023", "2023-12-31" (Chameleon goes color-coded crazy over the inconsistencies)
Integrity (Wise Oak Tree 👍)
Deduped Customer Records: John Doe (Unique/No Duplicates)
Order line items total = Order total (Passed sum constraint check)
Integrity (Wise Oak Tree 👎)
Duplicate Supplier: Acme Inc, Acme Inc. (Tree roots out the dupe)
OrderDetails lines (999) > OrderTotal (500) (Violated sum constraint)
Timeliness (Clock-Watching Rabbit 👍)
Sales Dashboard updated every 6 hours (Fresh and timely!)
Employee Records reviewed annually on hire date anniversaries
Timeliness (Clock-Watching Rabbit 👎)
Inventory Levels last updated 3 months ago (Rabbit thumps foot)
Statement of Works hasn't changed since 2019 (Rabbit scrambles)
Validity (Hawk Enforcer 👍)
Product Quantities: 5, 27, 104 (Within valid range 1-999)
Email: jane.doe@xyz.com (Passes regex format validation)
Validity (Hawk Enforcer 👎)
Discount Percent: 112% (Outside 0-100% biz rule, hawk strikes!)
Phone Number: 123-45-6789 (Fails validation, hawk screeches)
This shows some examples where the quirky quality guardians approve the pristine data...or angrily squash any transgressions against their pillars!
Together, these six quirky guardians help maintain a trustworthy, healthy data ecosystem in Quintius' forest! Their efforts ensure high quality, fit-for-purpose data for all the number-crunching critters' needs.
Sash Barige
Oct-22-2023
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