The quantitative assessment of data quality holds many challenges. Definitions such as

“The effect of the information system is determined by the quality of the information system multiplied by the degree of acceptance of the user organization, E = Q * A”

or

“Quality is defined as the degree to which a product meets the requirements of clients”

or

“Defining quality means destroying quality”

are merely intuitive statements translating or partly translating different points of view of data users. In most cases, neither the purpose for which the data are used nor the underlying requirements to be met by the data are clearly defined. Clear definition is a prerequisite for the assessment of data quality. Requirements should be formulated so as to permit an objective and automatic verification of the ability of data to comply with such requirements.

Continue reading ‘What do YOU think of the quality of your data?’