Data profiling

Data profiling is the process of examining the data available in an existing data source (e.g. a database or a file) and collecting statistics and information about that data. The purpose of these statistics may be to:

1. find out whether existing data can easily be used for other purposes
2. give metrics on data quality including whether the data conforms to company standards
3. assess the risk involved in integrating data for new applications, including the challenges of joins
4. track data quality
5. assess whether metadata accurately describes the actual values in the source database
6. understanding data challenges early in any data intensive project, so that late project surprises are avoided. Finding data problems late in the project can incur time delays and project cost overruns.
7. have an enterprise view of all data, for uses such as Master Data Management where key data is needed, or Data governance for improving data quality