Spring cleaning, all year long
I talk frequently about "weeding the garden," the idea that proactively managing your data, consistently, over time, is a better practice than trying to clean up the data in one big effort once every couple of years.
But beyond the data itself, weeding the garden should also include making sure all the things around the "weeds" are cleaned up, too. I'm referring to things like fields and data points that are no longer used, redundant queries and reports, and business processes that are outdated or no longer useful.
The bad data are the weeds themselves. The fields, queries and reports, and business processes are the gardens that the weeds are growing in.
So while you're weeding, make sure you check the rest of the garden and clean up anything that might contribute to the proliferation of those weeds.
Happy gardening!
Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives
“We run the report three times and get three different results.”
“We run the report three times and get three different results.” “We run the same […]
How do you know if you’re making progress?
How do you know if you’re making progress? We all want to improve our data management, […]
Don’t move too quickly OR too slowly
Don’t move too quickly OR too slowly This may sound like a big “duh!” but I’ll […]
“Your current habits are perfectly designed to deliver your current results.”
“Your current habits are perfectly designed to deliver your current results.” “Your current habits are […]
There is value in just going through the exercise
There is value in just going through the exercise I was working with a client […]
Daylight savings and business rules
Daylight savings and business rules This past Sunday, most of the US observed Daylight Savings […]
It’s always about priorities
It’s always about priorities No matter the size or type of technology project, you will […]
Only one can be best
Only one can be best One of my (many) pet peeves with software vendor marketing […]
Seek to simplify
Seek to simplify When I work with my clients on system selection or implementation, one […]
Some problems are not problems
Some problems are not problems “A problem with no solution is not a problem, it’s […]