Will data analysis tools place greater emphasis on quality?

Companies across all sectors have been hard at work to integrate new data-driven initiatives that will help them make more informed, timely decisions. Simply using data has been a priority for several years now, but a follow-up question still persists - when will business begin using more accurate data?

The question of data quality is one that corporate IT leaders too often ignore, or at least under?-emphasize. They're gathering large quantities of information, and they're acting on it quickly, but rarely do they stop to verify that the information in their databases is true.

By using email verification software and other address management tools to sniff out inaccurate data, companies could save themselves a lot of logistical trouble. Consumer-supplied data is often rife with duplicate entries, typographical errors and contact information that's erroneous or outdated. Companies may never be able to eliminate all of these mistakes completely, but by investing a little bit of time and money into the process, they can certainly take a bite out of the problem.

According to TechTarget, this is slowly becoming a priority for companies that use big data analytics in their daily operations. Companies that work with data are prioritizing quality before they purchase and deploy analysis tools.

Ted Friedman, a Gartner vice president who co-authored a report on the subject, told the news source that companies are looking for tools that combine quality with high levels of capability for master data management (MDM).

"We believe that you can't be successful in doing data integration unless you have a strong focus on data quality built in," Friedman said. "It's not just about connecting things, it's about making sure data gets delivered in a fit-for-purpose way, and that's where the data quality capabilities come in."

What progress lies ahead?
TechTarget further explained that while the movement toward greater data quality is a slow one, many companies have already taken significant steps forward by using more reliable data applications.

"I think it's a work in progress," Friedman told TechTarget. "Certainly we see more and more providers that offer complementary technology in all three of those spaces - data integration tools, data quality tools and MDM solutions - but there [are] still quite a few that compete in one of the three, or possibly two of the three."

This movement will continue as businesses become more aware of the need for quality. Simply using data is no longer enough - every company wants to use the very best.