Data Conflicts

Synonyms

Data anomalies; Data errors; Data inconsistencies; Data problems; Data quality problems

Definition

Data conflicts are deviations between data intended to capture the same state of a real-world entity. Data with conflicts are often called “dirty” data and can mislead analysis performed on it. In case of data conflicts, data cleaning is needed in order to improve the data quality and to avoid wrong analysis results. With an understanding of different kinds of data conflicts and their characteristics, corresponding techniques for data cleaning can be developed.

Historical Background

Statisticians were probably the first who had to face data conflicts on a large scale. Early applications, which needed intensive resolution of data conflicts, were statistical surveys in the areas of governmental administration, public health, and scientific experiments. In 1946, Halbert L. Dunn already observed the problem of duplicates in data records of a person’s life captured at different places...