Data quality needs to be assessed before cleansing

摘要

Recognizing that the success of their marketing efforts hinges on the quality of their databases, companies are more committed than ever to data cleansing efforts. But before conducting a complete database overhaul, marketers should assess the quality of their lists, experts say. "The first step, instead of believing that your data are garbage, is find out if that is true," said Bernice Grossman, founder of DMRS Group, a relationship marketing firm in New York. After the marketer knows exactly what type of data they have, they can assess whether or not they need data cleansing and integration software, she said. "Companies are understanding now that you can't manage what you can't measure," said Steve Varsa-lona, market development director for Firstlogic, a data quality software firm in La Crosse, Wis.