This introductory session discusses many issues to be considered when importing data from sources you don’t control - especially where the semantics and architecture of the source are different from your internal target. All along the way are issues of data quality, meaning, integration, and proper management.   

We will review a broad range of data behaviors and problems to test for at all levels of the architecture. These quality tests can be performed with the most simple reporting tools you probably already have; however, unwarranted assumptions can spell trouble. Such import also requires political sensitivities in maintaining a good relationship with your source. 

Attendees will learn:

• The many potential pitfalls of importing data from external sources
• Basic techniques for evaluating the quality of acquired data
• Ensuring quality and consistency in subsequent flows
• Issues to consider when integrating imported data with internal data warehouses

Speaker: Michael Scofield

Assistant Professor
Loma Linda University

Michael Scofield, MBA, is an Assistant Professor at Loma Linda University School of Nursing. He is a frequent speaker and author on the topics of Data Management, Data Quality, data visualization, and data warehousing. He has spoken in over 27 states, Canada, Australia, and the U.K. His articles appear in a variety of professional journals in Data Management.

Michael's career experience includes government, manufacturing, finance, and software development. Now semi-retired, he still does pro-bono data mining and data quality analysis for nonprofit organizations. He also guest-lectures at a number of colleges and universities.

His greatest interest currently is data visualization, Data Quality assessment, and using graphic techniques to reveal business and economic behavior.