Before going into the depth of the topic, let’s understand what exactly is data cleansing?

Data Cleansing is a process of modifying or removing the data in a database which is incorrect, incomplete or duplicated. It is also known as data scrubbing.

Data cleansing is generally used to improve the quality of your data and hence, it is essential for you to create an effective data cleansing strategy which would be simple and easy to use.

Take a look at the top 5 ways of carrying out an efficient data cleansing technique

Copy development

Initially, you will get a raw data set which would be an electronic copy of all the paper-based data that you have gathered. In case, if you create an error in the electronic copy, you can always go back to the original one. While you are carrying out the process of data cleaning, you should always ensure that you possess the ability to undo any cleaning mistake. It leads to the creation of duplicate worksheet.

Separate worksheet for cleaning

While you are cleaning an individual column of the data, you are supposed to use various tools built in Excel, such as the “Find and Replace” tool. Hence, when you want to create a separate column of data, you need to copy that column onto a separate worksheet and work it out there.

Reporting back the errors

It does not make any sense in cleaning the same data again and again, in the same method. If you are using a shared data set, you need to report back the errors to the original source.

Usage of excel functions

Try your best, not to clean the data manually. One of the major sources of typography and spelling errors comes from the manual data entry. Excel consists of a lot of functions which will help you in carrying out the process of data cleansing efficiently.

Usage of Excel formulae

Use the Excel formulae to massively create a positive data cleansing effect. Many people find it difficult to detect the actual source of the error. Excel has different formulae which can be used to detect the error such as the spaces and unwanted characters.

It is quite essential to learn and grasp the basics of data cleansing, in order to carry out the process accurately and in a speedy way.