Just start. And it’s never done.
Last week I had the opportunity to lead a panel discussion about data clean up at the quarterly NetForum Users Group meeting. (Quick plug: If you're not a member of your AMS users group, join now! And if there isn't a users group, start one!)
At the end of the session, I asked the participants to offer some final words of advice. I was coalescing thoughts of my own and arrived at these two suggestions about doing data clean up:
- Just start.
- It's never done.
Both are simple, but oh so hard.
If you're not already cleaning your data in some manner, today is the day to start. And don't try to do it all; just pick one thing and clean.
And always remember: data cleaning is never done. Data that isn't actively managed will become stale over time. So either you're cleaning it, or it's getting worse.
So what are you waiting for?
![]()
Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives
There’s always gonna be something
There’s always gonna be something I’ve been consulting for 26 years now and I’m still […]
Eyes wide open and affirmative decision-making
Eyes wide open and affirmative decision-making When I work with my clients on any type […]
Honoring an industry legend
Honoring an industry legend I’m taking a break from my usual data management tips to […]
Never burn a bridge
Never burn a bridge My children have reached the age where they have, or are, […]
You CAN compete with the big guys…
You CAN compete with the big guys… In my experience, associations often undersell their actual […]
Join (or start) your users group!
Join (or start) your users group! Today’s message is simple: If the AMS you’re using […]
They don’t care, until they care.
They don’t care, until they care. One of the more common questions I get from […]
Longfellow and data management
Longfellow and data management “We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing while […]
Do you really need all that historical data?
Do you really need all that historical data? A question I’ll often get from my […]
AI actually requires thinking
AI actually requires thinking “I don’t think AI introduces a new kind of thinking. It […]
