Harnessing Data With Integrity: Cleaning, Extracting And Unifying Data
Today’s consumer-focused companies rely on teamwork and data-informed decisions to fuel growth, but their main challenge is ensuring that actionable insights come from trustworthy, well-structured, and readily available data sources. Lori Schafer, Forbes Council Member and CEO of Digital Wave Technology, shares an article that emphasizes the importance of robust data governance and efficient processes for modern consumer-facing organizations that rely on data-driven decisions. It highlights the distinction between merely collecting data and being responsible stewards of it—ensuring data is accurate, accessible, and well-organized through smart cleansing, enrichment, and management practices. Key challenges in data management include sourcing high-quality data, overcoming silos and incompatible systems, and reformatting information to fit organizational needs. Traditional extraction methods can be slow and costly, but emerging technologies like Generative AI (GenAI) are transforming data processes. GenAI enhances the ETL (extract, transform, load) workflow by identifying inconsistencies, filling gaps, and verifying data integrity, resulting in cleaner, more reliable datasets. The article underscores the role of AI in securing data access through attribute-based controls and automated classification, enabling granular permissions across departments. It advocates for appointing dedicated data governance leaders to oversee standards, security, and collaboration. Ultimately, organizations must foster a culture that values data integrity, invest in AI-powered tools, and establish clear governance protocols to ensure real-time, accurate data insights—crucial for maintaining competitiveness and operational agility in today’s marketplace.
