Reconciliation
Comparing two sets of data that should agree, such as a source system and its export, and accounting for every difference between them.
The simplest reconciliation compares row counts and column totals before and after a step. If a cleaning step was only meant to reformat values, the totals should not have moved.
Where it comes up
- The same entity in two systemsOne person or organization exists in two systems under different identifiers, with nothing linking the records.
- Totals and notes rows inside the dataRows that are not records, such as subtotals, grand totals, and footnotes, sit among the rows that are.
See also
- ChecksumA short value calculated from the contents of a file or record. If the contents change at all, the checksum almost certainly changes too.
- Source of truthThe one system or dataset agreed to hold the authoritative version of a piece of information. When copies disagree, it is the one that is taken to be right.
- ConsistencyWhether data agrees with itself: the same fact written the same way everywhere, and related values that do not contradict each other.