Online data validation format systems characteristics Oracle Database Tips by Donald Burleson

Systems for Oracle data quality control have different names depending on the complexity of the data validation:

• Decision Support System - A DSS is created when the decision rules of the DQO cannot be quantified and "human intuition" is required.  A DSS works "with" the DQO who help with the well-structured components of data quality, such as the identification of "suspicious" table rows.
   
• Expert System - The system is called an "Expert System" when the Oracle DBA has been successful in qualifying all of the decision rules and the system can fully replicate the thought processes of the Data Quality Officer (the on-site "expert").

Most data quality systems start-out as a DSS, where they remain until the Oracle DBA has refined the decision rules to the point where they can be complete automated.  Any DSS for managing Oracle data quality have these components:

• The Identification program - This is the program that the DBA uses to specify complex sets of rules, add translation tables, and code for the all-important "rule exceptions".  The program must run very fast and have the robust capabilities of a 4^th generation language, and the top-choice is Oracle PL/SQL, which has the advanced language features, awhile retaining the ability to be complied into low-level "C" for super-fast execution.
   
• The Interactive Front-end - The Data Quality Office required an interactive front-end for the display, approval and rejections of the suggestions from the identification program.  The from-end can be created using a host of Oracle tools (SQL*Forms, OraPerl, APEX) but most shops choose APEX because of its Rapid Application Development (RAD) capabilities.
   
• The Database logs and components - It's critical that the Oracle DBA retain a complete log of all data cleansing activities, recording the "who", "what" and "when" for each data change.  This component is implemented with a set of log tables within the Oracle schema.

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