Data Verification Methods

Data verification is a process that should not be underestimated in a world where data is increasingly becoming the most important source of decision-making. Data is used for many aspects of organizational operations, including customer relations, service delivery, and strategic development. 

Definition of Data Verification

Data verification involves a confirmation that such data collected, input, or processed are valid and contain no errors somewhere in the entire process. This means that the collected data is checked against the source to meet the accuracy criterion. 

Types of Data Verification

The important thing in verification is to identify the applicable techniques for the required data verification. Here are the types of data verification commonly used:

• Manual Data Verification
  This involves using human interference to go through the data to ensure it is correct with the original data. This approach is useful when working with small datasets, but it gets tiresome and can be affected by human errors when handling a large volume of data.
• Automated Data Verification
  Cross-pressure check methods involve comparing data on the specific criteria against specific rules or other data sets in the computer programs. These systems can detect improper matching instantly and are useful for data operations.
• Double Data Entry  
  This technique involves data entry to be done twice, and then the results are compiled and checked for consistency. If abnormalities are detected, the entries are verified and modified.
• Sampling or Spot Checks
  This method entails sampling a small, random split of a huge data set. The method of sample checking is more efficient compared to sample validation, as well as determining patterns concerning the data reliability.

Data Verification Methods

What are the effective methods of data verification? 

It is also important to know several methods of data verification that are widely used. Depending on the size of the dataset and the type of information, businesses may use one or a combination of these methods:

• Cross Verification (Source-to-Source Checking)   

In this method, data is checked by cross-checking it in different systems or media. This way, there is consistency, which makes it easy to notice differences between one dataset and the other.

For instance, a retail company may check the customer order details provided by the sales team with the records of the shipping department to confirm that the customers’ addresses do not differ between the two.

• Rule-Based Validation

Rule-based validation looks for patterns of data and then checks it against pre-set rules or constraints. These rules are set depending on the requirements of the organization and may consist of anything from knowing that the email account must adhere to a particular pattern to knowing that a certain figure in the financial records is higher than the valid range.

For instance, a bank may define a constraint as a regulation that covers account numbers to be of equal length; an e-commerce firm may check for a condition that the price of its products should always be more than zero.

• Duplicate Detection

The problem of duplication usually exists in most of the datasets and is a significant source of the management of incorrect reports and organizational dysfunctions. As for record duplicate detection, it is used to delete such records as the ones listed above that have similar data, which means that the database will consist of unique entries only.

For instance, a marketing department might execute a campaign on a customer contact list, and when there is no ability to eliminate duplicate records; the customer may receive multiple emails, creating a bad customer experience.

• Data Profiling

Data profiling involves the examination of data to define quality problems to detect gaps or incorrect formats or compare the content between fields. It is an initial and useful way for commercial organizations to get some insight into the status of certain data before using more rigorous checks on it.

For example, it is possible to define profiles of patient records where profile checks would identify every record that is missing a field and every field that is filled in an improper way, such as name and age fields should contain character and numeric data, respectively.

Practical Uses of Data Verification

Data verification is applied in many fields to guarantee data credibility and facilitate company functioning. Here is a breakdown of how sectors use verification methods.

• Marketing
  Campaigns cannot be smooth running if the contact data provided to the marketers is not correct. Data verification helps avoid entering wrong information, such as wrong accounts, which may include wrong email, wrong phone numbers, and incorrect postal addresses. This eliminates confusion that may be evident when dealing with a cross-sectional team or when dealing with a large group of people involved in marketing.
• Finance
  Finance being an industry, any data provided must be accurate, including compliance and risks. Account verification techniques are used by financial institutions to guarantee that data in transactions, clients, and financial statements are correct. For instance, an automatic verification of records can detect inconsistency in transactions in different accounts in a way that can only be untrue or fraudulent.
• Healthcare
  In the healthcare sector, the process of data verification is important because records should be correct and up to date. The patient data, from their medical histories to their test results, must be accurate to enable healthcare organizations to offer the best care. While performed manually, many of these tasks can cause time wastage, and integrated automated systems can help to perform these checks and validate the information against checks from different departments to help enforce compliance with the regulatory frameworks.

Conclusion

The review of the data verification is a critical component that helps in the credibility of data possessed by an organization. Still, many data verification techniques are available, like manual checking and automated tools. Depending on the size and the non-adjustable parameters of the data being verified, businesses can select the suitable one. Data verification methods can help businesses avoid costly mistakes and make the right decisions.