What Is Data Audit?

You may not know it, but the data you use to make decisions is probably unreliable. Data audits can help you determine how valuable your information is and what you need to do to make it more useful. A data audit is a systematic examination of data to assess its quality, validity and reliability. Often it is used to determine if data can be relied upon for critical decisions or analyses. A data audit is like a financial audit of a business. Both are focused on examining the quality of information from multiple perspectives to verify that information has been obtained accurately, consistent with applicable rules or requirements, and complete and up to date. One of the most critical and standard processes is ensuring research data is created, collected, and used. In academics, especially social sciences and medical sciences, data audits may uncover potential problems and issues with knowledge that individual researchers could not have seen alone. A requirement to perform a data audit comprises an obligation to record all facts related to a research program by data audit protocols before conducting further analysis or evaluation. The data audit should also include an examination of the accuracy and validity of data assets and any policies that need to be updated to reflect current best practices. It's important to remember that data assets are physical and digital and may be stored in various places, from a centralized system to individual emails. When conducting a data audit, it's helpful to have a checklist to follow. By taking inventory of your company's data assets, you can determine which assets are at risk and must be archived. It's also important to keep track of the data audit results to ensure that the process is continual and up to date. A data audit sounds like something you'd do at the IRS, right? Or maybe a forensic accounting team but it's another way of saying "keeping track of your data". With everything from spreadsheets to photos and videos running around on your device, it's essential to ensure it's all stored safely and privately.