"Many mickles make a muckle." - George Washington

Apparently, this was an old Scottish saying (and a favorite of George Washington's) that means "things add up." Over time, many little things can become big things.

This is absolutely true when it comes to managing data. Many little decisions and actions we take will have large and long-term effects on the quality of our data.

As I discuss here, your data is either getting better or getting worse. There is no stasis. Every little positive thing you do (e.g., cleaning up that record you just opened that was incorrect, periodically asking members and customers to check their contact info, making sure you have good documentation, etc.) adds up over time.

There is no one magic wand to improving the quality of your data; it requires lots of little steps over time.

After all, many mickles make a muckle. And who am I to argue with the father of my country?