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Miles of data to go

  • Tuesday, 22 December 2020 10:28
  • Written by 

Dealing with an ocean of data can be exhausting and intimidating.
Just as you would if caught in a rip current, know your options, survey the situation and stay calm. Surfer400

Prep work and a few questions/answers can help.

  1. Is the data exported in a format that can be easily filtered and sorted?
    If not, can the exported data be converted into a format that can? (usually an .xlsx file)

  2. What is the goal (use case) for the data?
    What will the data be used for? Research? Standardization? Clean up? Itemizing?

  3. Preserve the original data.
    Save the original file (adding a primary key, e.g. row number). Make a working copy of the original file to use for processing.

  4. Groom the data.
    Ask the people who will be working on the data to review the file for the intended goal:

    a) Will ALL data be needed/used? 
         e.g. pharmacy data is exported, if working on clinical drugs, will drug supplies be used?
         If not, these can be deleted from the working file

    b) Are there lines of invalid/illegible data?

    c) Does any of the data need additional explanation?
        e.g. uncommon

  5. Ask for assistance if you feel like you are drowning!


Please contact us if you have questions or if you’d like our help with terminologies and map sets!