Current evidence indicates that poor data quality is pervasive and has a significant negative impact on business success. Information-system (IS) professionals are typically charged with managing the enterprise's data resources, yet few have received formal training in techniques for improving data quality. There is a clear need to integrate topics related to data quality into courses on database systems. This paper describes the importance of data quality and defines data quality in a four-dimensional framework. The contents of five popular database system textbooks are analyzed for their coverage of data quality concepts. This analysis is used to suggest four specific modules that can be used by information-system trainers and educators in a course on database systems.
Richard G. Mathieu, Omar Khalil