Rating: 
Summary: This is a "must-have" guide
Review: Some books belong on a shelf in the library; not this one! As a quality practitioner, this book stays on my desk where it belongs - in active use! "Improving Data Warehouse and Business Information Quality" is a 518 page source of enlightenment and should be considered mandatory reading; not only for Data Warehouse professionals but for every knowledge worker and business manager. This book "delivers the goods" and then goes the extra mile by transcending industries and corporate levels to promote a deep understanding of quality concepts. Not only does Larry use relevant examples to show causes and effects of poor quality, he also shares practical advice that is meaningful and can be readily implemented. Larry's writing style and human component make reading this book very enjoyable and thought provoking. I have used this book for over four years and found no other book to be as relevant and useful.
Rating:
Summary: This is a "must-have" guide
Review: Some books belong on a shelf in the library; not this one! As a quality practitioner, this book stays on my desk where it belongs - in active use! "Improving Data Warehouse and Business Information Quality" is a 518 page source of enlightenment and should be considered mandatory reading; not only for Data Warehouse professionals but for every knowledge worker and business manager. This book "delivers the goods" and then goes the extra mile by transcending industries and corporate levels to promote a deep understanding of quality concepts. Not only does Larry use relevant examples to show causes and effects of poor quality, he also shares practical advice that is meaningful and can be readily implemented. Larry's writing style and human component make reading this book very enjoyable and thought provoking. I have used this book for over four years and found no other book to be as relevant and useful.
Rating:
Summary: This is a "must-have" guide
Review: Some books belong on a shelf in the library; not this one! As a quality practitioner, this book stays on my desk where it belongs - in active use! "Improving Data Warehouse and Business Information Quality" is a 518 page source of enlightenment and should be considered mandatory reading; not only for Data Warehouse professionals but for every knowledge worker and business manager. This book "delivers the goods" and then goes the extra mile by transcending industries and corporate levels to promote a deep understanding of quality concepts. Not only does Larry use relevant examples to show causes and effects of poor quality, he also shares practical advice that is meaningful and can be readily implemented. Larry's writing style and human component make reading this book very enjoyable and thought provoking. I have used this book for over four years and found no other book to be as relevant and useful.
Rating:
Summary: Ultimate guide to effectively improve information quality.
Review: Tackling the issue of information quality is undoubtedly one of the most significant challenges of businesses today. Larry's book provides clear, concise guidance on how to recognize information quality issues and determine and quantify their true business impact. He also outlines a common sense approach on how to effectively improve the integrity of business information and recognize the return on investment in sound quality improvement initiatives. As a consultant specializing in Information Stewardship and Quality, I find this book my most valued reference. From a professional standpoint, I have to borrow the motto of American Express Credit Card Company, I "Don't leave home without it!"
Rating: 
Summary: Good information but tedious reading
Review: The author presents information and advice that is not readily available anywhere else. Unfortunately, the book is so boring that it is doubtful that it will actually get read by many people outside the data administration community. The problems with the book are many. It is the most repetitious book I ever read. The author should learn about tautologies because they constantly appear in the book. Also, there are too many bulleted lists, step-by-step programs, and diagrams that may be okay for a spoken presentation but make for distracting and dull reading. Finally, there are many "do an effective...." and "conduct a thorough..." type of statements. The author should just say what a thorough or effective (or the like) practice is. One more aspect of this book is really bothersome. It is titled as if it is a data warehousing book. But references to data warehouses seem to appear as afterthoughts. Most of the book is relevant to designers of transaction processing systems. And the author never lets us in as to why, if we follow the principles in the book, we need a data warehouse. Finally, this book mostly discusses structured information. At this time when information technology professionals are "discovering" that most information used is unstructured, the author's orientation is shortsighted.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent ideas for implementing a data quality program
Review: The book is fantastic. English obviously has plenty of front line experience. He doesn't simply state the problem and offer suggestions. He empowers the reader to join the data quality movements by giving them the tools necessary to convince the decision makers that data quality is worth the investment. Chapter Seven, "Measuring Nonquality Information Costs," is worth the price of the book alone, because it gives us a solid ROI model to throw at the bean counters. The writing style is extremely accessable. The book is so well organized that it can be read straight through or employed as a reference.
Rating:
Summary: A 'must-have' book for every IRM professional
Review: The chapters on estimating your organization's cost of having non-quality data make this book a requirement for every Information Resource Management professional's book shelf. Larry English is one of the few authors in the industry to show you how to work the numbers when it comes to data quality. While others drop hints at why quality is good, Mr. English tells us how to collect the data and how to calculate the true costs of sub-standard data management practices. As our profession matures we will be called upon to make more explicit business cases for what we recommend to senior management -- Larry has some great methods for us to use. This will save us months of having to figure it out for ourselves.
Rating:
Summary: A 'must-have' book for every IRM professional
Review: The chapters on estimating your organization's cost of having non-quality data make this book a requirement for every Information Resource Management professional's book shelf. Larry English is one of the few authors in the industry to show you how to work the numbers when it comes to data quality. While others drop hints at why quality is good, Mr. English tells us how to collect the data and how to calculate the true costs of sub-standard data management practices. As our profession matures we will be called upon to make more explicit business cases for what we recommend to senior management -- Larry has some great methods for us to use. This will save us months of having to figure it out for ourselves.
Rating: 
Summary: Who should read and why; Author's Warranty; and Endorsements
Review: This book is not for everyone. It is for people who care about their customers and their information customers. This book is for people who do not like to see people and money resources wasted on information scrap and rework when they could be doing things that add value. This book is for people who seriously want to see shareholder value increase on a long-term basis, not merely from quarterly statement to quarterly statement. You are a candidate to receive value from this book if: - You recognize that information is an important business resource and you want to maximize its value. - You care about your customers, both internal and external, and desire to maintain accurate information about them and for them. - You are fed up with the high costs of low-quality information and the resulting problems, and are asking, 'is there a better way?'" (page xvii-xviii.) In the Harvard Business Review, Schaffe and Thompson cite a survey showing 63 percent of companies that had embarked on TQM-based programs had failed to improve quality defects in products by even as little as 10 percent. This book aims to help you understand how to avoid the pitfalls when conducting information quality improvements and when implementing an effective information quality environment. The Gartner Group states that most reengineering initiatives will fail because of lack of attention to information quality. Experience is revealing that more than half of data warehouses built fail to meet expectations because of poor information quality. This book seeks to help you be successful in all information-related projects by addressing and solving the real problems and causes of poor quality information." (page xix.) in this book to achieve value to your organization worth multiple times the cost of the book, I will personally refund to you the purchase price you paid for this book. Simply contact me at Larry.English@infoimpact.com for refund instructions as to where to send the book. All I ask is for you to give me a copy of your sales receipt along with a statement of what you tried that did not work, along with your assessment of why it failed to result in value. No further questions asked." (page xxvi.) Early Reviews for Improving Data Warehouse and Business Information Quality - "The Information Quality Bible for the Information Age! - "Practical and useful--this book has it all in one package; 'concept book, textbook, reference book, practitioner's guide.' - "English's sense of humor is reflected throughout. The rewards from the implementation of his methods should be as enjoyable as the reading" Masaaki Imai, Founder, Kaizen Institute, Bud H. Cox, Managing Director, Kaizen Institute of Japan (Kaizen is a Japanese word that connotes "continuous improvement involving everyone in the organization") "Very lively reading. The book belongs on the bookshelf of every manager and technician." Bill Inmon, Pine Cone Systems, "Father of Data Warehousing" "This book is a must for every business bookshelf. Larry English has been on the forefront of the Data Quality issue from the outset--[and] has some real wisdom on this vital issue." John Zachman, Zachman International, Creator of the Framework for Enterprise Architecture "This book is long overdue. As a leading expert on Quality in the world today, Larry English shows the impact that data and information quality directly have on costs and on profitability - not just for data warehouses but also for business information. His examples are clear, and vital for management to read. "This book will maximise your chances for success. No Data Warehousing project and no IT Department should be without it. I predict that it will become the 'Bible' of Quality success." Clive Finkelstein, Information Engineering Services Pty Ltd, "Father of Information Engineering" "Everywhere we go--we see the results of data quality problems. In this book, Larry English not only turns up the heat by discussing the sources and nature of data quality problems, he also sheds real light through a practical approach to addressing data quality improvement. Time spent understanding and applying the principles and tips Larry offers will be well worth the investment." Vaughan Merlyn, Concours Group "Larry's book is simply brilliant. . . it wrestles with a sometimes elusive but extremely costly business problem in a most clear and pragmatic manner. The book is extremely timely because the Y2k challenge has embarrassingly exposed the world's data quality problem. Armed with yesterday's Y2k tools and Larry's visionary book, an organization can get closer to cleaning up the rest of the enterprise's data. Such an endeavor may mean the difference between business success and business failure." Barbara von Halle, Founder of Knowledge Partners Inc. and editor of "Handbook of Data Management" "A superior work. A tremendous addition to the field of business intelligence. Pragmatic, experience and reality based, but most important, focused on tangible, measurable benefits to the business." Doug Hackney, Enterprise Group Ltd., Data Warehouse and Business Intelligence Expert
Rating:
Summary: The must book for any information quality practitioner
Review: This book is the most comprehensive book on information quality and should be used as a reference by all information quality practitioners. It provides a theoretical foundation and practical advice on many aspects of Information Quality Management. I read it with a pencil and colour stickers in my hands and before long all book was covered with red, yellow and green stickers. There are so many important points in the book, that my advice to all readers is to read it not just once, but many times and refer to it in your everyday information quality management practice.
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