Data Profiling Technology

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PART

III

Data Profiling Technology

and effective technology that enables the inside-out approach to data quality assurance. The next chapter provides an overview of the data profiling process. It outlines the basic methodology and describes each of the data profiling categories. It also discusses the difference between discovery and verification techniques. The chapters that follow drill down on specific steps of the data profiling process. They include techniques used to accomplish the analysis, as well as examples that demonstrate the process and value. This part is not an exhaustive treatment of the topic of data profiling. That would take a large book by itself to accomplish. However, there is enough material here to develop a thorough awareness of" the technology, understand how it works, and see how it can return value. Data profiling applies directly to data quality assurance functions. It is also a valuable technology in developing new uses of" data and in migrating data to other projects. When used in these projects, it can be viewed as either a development technology or a quality assurance technology. It provides an organized way of looking at data and delivering the metadata needed to make projects successful.