The presence of data alone does not ensure that all the management functions and decisions can be smoothly undertaken. There is a compulsive requirement for the data to be meaningful or, in other words, data quality is of utmost importance if management is to take any advantage of the data at their disposal. Data quality pertains to issues such as:

The quality of data is often evaluated to determine usability and to establish the processes necessary for improving data quality. Data quality may be measured objectively or subjectively. Data quality is a state of completeness, validity, consistency, timeliness and accuracy that makes data appropriate for a specific use.

This article explores the various factors that make data cleansing of the legacy system inevitable and provides strategies that can be adopted. Moreover, it deals with the factors that determine the choice of a particular strategy for data cleansing.