Garbage in, gospel out

Garbage in, gospel out

We've all heard the phrase "Garbage in, garbage out." If the data entered into the system is bad, any reports coming out of it will be bad. Simple.

But what about "Garbage in, gospel out"? (I first heard this from my father.) Translated, this is reflected in the attitude of "If the system says it is so, it must be."

We've probably all encountered this with a consumer goods company when the customer service rep says "Sir, my records show your service is working fine," as I sit on my end with no internet service.

The antidote to Garbage in, Gospel out is "Trust, but verify." It's ok to assume your data reports are good, as long as you've verified they are good! One way to verify your data is through the use of data integrity reports.

Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives

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Engagement is measured by the customer

May 27, 2020

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Yes, you do have a process for that

May 13, 2020

Yes, you do have a process for that When I work with clients on pretty […]

“Correct your mistakes before they become your habits”

May 6, 2020

“Correct your mistakes before they become your habits” Yet another great quote from James Clear: “Correct […]

Sometimes it’s a process issue

April 29, 2020

Sometimes it’s a process issue When I work with clients on developing a needs list […]

First ask: “How will I use this data?”

April 22, 2020

First ask: “How will I use this data?” Whether it’s during data conversion, adding a […]

“We run the report three times and get three different results.”

April 15, 2020

“We run the report three times and get three different results.” “We run the same […]

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