I don't recall where I first heard it many decades ago, but the phrase "evolution, not revolution" always struck me as one key to understanding how data management really works. (I heard the phrase in relation to something else but naturally I found a fit for data management!)

It's really quite simple: When it comes to improving the quality of your data, there are no magic bullets that will bring dramatic improvements (revolution). Improving your data quality takes time (evolution). Here are just a few examples of what that might look like:

• Finding potentially bad data through data integrity reports.
• Seeking out and eliminating duplicate data.
• Making business rules as simple as possible.

None of these activities executed once (revolution) will make a huge change. All of these activities done consistently over time (evolution) will dramatically improve the quality of your data.

Consistency and patience wins the day. Remember, it's evolution, not revolution.