Decluttering your data using feng shui
Commonly known as an ancient Chinese philosophical method of organization, feng shui is more factually known as the harmonization and orientation of one’s surroundings in an auspicious manner. While feng shui is mostly practiced as a way of strategic organization, let’s take a minute to relate this ancient concept to something a little more abstract: data quality.
We can apply feng shui concepts to data quality in one very simple way—clutter removal. In an optimal clutter-free world, every second we spend on a task would be optimized. Imagine finding what you need when you need it! You could maximize productivity and channel positive energy into endless accomplishment. In a recent study conducted by the Ponemon Institute, Corporate Data: A Protected Asset or a Ticking Time Bomb, 73 percent of end users stated that the growth of numerous types of company data have significantly affected their ability to find and access that data. While it is important to clean, standardize and de-clutter existing dirty data, insuring new data is clean at point-of-capture is truly the key to improving the overall health of data within your organization.
