Signal-to-noise ratio
Signal-to-noise ratio, formally used, applies to electricity and engineering, and refers to how much of a desired signal is being received, versus how much background noise is coming through.
The same thing applies to your database. The signal is your good data; the noise is your bad data. I've argued for years that the higher your signal-to-noise ratio in your database, the more likely you are to enter the cycle of doom, where staff will no longer trust the data, and stop using it. Bad data, including outdated contacts, is noise.
In order to improve your signal-to-noise ratio, you need to continually monitor and clean your data. Here are some ways you might do that.
Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives
Sometimes it’s a process issue
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First ask: “How will I use this data?”
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“We run the report three times and get three different results.”
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How do you know if you’re making progress?
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Don’t move too quickly OR too slowly
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“Your current habits are perfectly designed to deliver your current results.”
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There is value in just going through the exercise
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Daylight savings and business rules
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It’s always about priorities
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Only one can be best
Only one can be best One of my (many) pet peeves with software vendor marketing […]