Assessing the Quality of Data in Data Warehouses

摘要

Over the last 20 years, computers have become faster, smaller, easier to use, and, most importantly, less expensive. As a result, computers are increasingly used by environmental scientists to store large quantities of measurement data, including everything from analytical results to boring logs. These data are stored electronically in a database or a group of databases often referred to as a data warehouse. Data stored in a data warehouse is available for use in a variety of applications. Storing data in a data warehouse requires the user to only input and check the data once; since the data does not need to be re-entered, the potential for introducing data entry errors is avoided. The benefits of a data warehouse are obvious, but the scientific interpretations of the data are only as good as the data itself. Thus, it is important to assess the quality of the data in the data warehouse. The quality of the data can be evaluated using existing assessment methodologies. A well-operated and consistent assessment process will provide valuable tools for data managers to understand and improve the quality of their data. This is the topic of a paper entitled "Techniques for Assessing the Quality of Data in Data Warehouses," by Maria Rost Rublee and Jeffrey Worthington of EPA's Office of Environmental Information (Washington, DC). The paper was presented at the 17th Annual Waste Testing & Quality Assurance Symposium, which was held August 12-16, 2001 in Arlington, Virginia.