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Glossary

Data cleaning

Finding and correcting values in a dataset that are wrong, inconsistent, duplicated, or missing, so the data can be relied on.

Cleaning changes values. That is what separates it from validation, which only reports problems, and from profiling, which only describes the data.

See also

  • Data preparationEverything done to raw data to make it ready for a particular use: cleaning, reshaping, combining, and selecting.
  • Data qualityHow well a dataset serves the purpose it is used for. Usually judged by accuracy, completeness, consistency, validity, uniqueness, and timeliness.
  • ValidationChecking values against rules, such as a date being in the past or a state code being on the allowed list, and reporting what fails.

Karg checks for many of these when it profiles a file, applies the fixes it is confident about, and sets the rest aside for your review. See how it works, or have our team clean your data for you.