Merging companies have data quality woes

The size and complexity of a modern company's databases can be a heavy burden on its management efforts and hamper attempts to make information useful. Add to that the uncertainty and upheaval surrounding a merger and those issues require special effort and attention. Information Week recently used the combination of two pharmaceutical benefits firms as an example of data quality efforts coming together.

The source noted that both companies had strong data governance efforts coming into the merger. One company sported a well-developed data quality apparatus and the other maintained a strong focus on analytics. Combining those two elements led to a strong unified department capable of making data work for the firm. According to Information Management, the team also promoted its efforts well.

"We were able to build a preliminary data quality dashboard to show to stakeholders," data quality manager Elisa Pirylis told the source. "It lets us show value over time and our stakeholders can see where data governance is taking us."

Though not every data migration is as drastic as a merger, they can all incorporate data quality efforts. According to eWeek, checking integrity is a vital first step in a transfer, especially if the information comes from a legacy system.