Chapter 2 - Key Concepts

Abstract

The Ten Steps process provides practices for assessing, improving, implementing, and creating quality data. This chapter discusses the philosophy and fundamental concepts that are integral components of the methodology and on which The Ten Steps process is built.These key concepts provide the background about information quality and the components necessary for it. The Framework for Information Quality (FIQ) provides a logical structure for understanding the components that contribute to information quality. It helps you understand a complex environment that creates information quality problems and enables organized thinking so that quality data can be planned and created. The phases of the Information Life Cycle provide a view of how information is planned, obtained, store, shared, used, maintained, and disposed. Data quality dimensions, such as data specifications, data integrity fundamentals, duplication, accuracy, transactability, timeliness, and availability are aspects or features of quality which provide a way to measure and manage the quality of data and information. Business impact techniques use qualitative and quantitative measures for determining the effects of data quality on the business. Other key concepts include data specifications, data categories, data stewardship and governance, and the Information and Data Quality Improvement Cycle. Understanding the key concepts helps to decide which activities from The Ten Steps process should be implemented. In many cases concepts from the steps can be used to analyze and better understand particular data quality situations. The successful application of the information quality methodology takes an iterative approach and requires implementation of best practices for obtaining best results.