What is Data Scrubbing: A Beginner's Guide To Cleaning Data The Right Way

Safalta Published by: Ishika Kumar Updated Wed, 08 Jun 2022 10:56 PM IST

Highlights

Do you wanna know more about data scrubbing as a beginner, then read this article for more details.

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Data isn't flawless, which should come as no surprise. Human error, inconsistencies, redundancies, spelling mistakes, and insufficient information all affect digital data, just as they do everything else in life.
Because databases now house so much of our lives and work, it's more critical than ever to ensure that data is as accurate as possible.
It's time to learn about data scrubbing, including the finest tools for the work and the differences between data scrubbing and data cleansing.
 

1. What is Data Scrubbing?

If you were performing domestic chores and someone told you to clean the floor, you probably got a broom, swept the floor, and then wiped it down with a moist mop. If, on the other hand, that same individual orders you to scrub the floor, you'll be down on your hands and knees with a scrub brush and a bucket of hot soapy water, putting in a lot of work. The term "scrub" denotes a more thorough cleansing and is well-suited to the realm of data management.
Data scrubbing is defined as "the procedure of changing or eliminating incomplete, erroneous, improperly formatted, or repeating data in a database," according to Techopedia. The technique increases the consistency, correctness, and dependability of the data.
 

2. What is Data Cleaning, and is it the Same Thing?

Data cleaning, also known as data cleansing, is a less involved method of cleaning up your data that mostly involves updating or eliminating obsolete, redundant, corrupt, badly structured, or inconsistent data. Data specialists are in charge of the actual cleaning, as well as checking the database and making necessary adjustments and edits, as well as exercising excellent data entering habits.
  • Database Errors Should Be Monitored and Recorded-

Identify and catalogue the places where the most errors occur.
  • Create a set of guidelines-

Before you clean any data, make sure you have a set of consistent standards and protocols in place to compare the data to. If the standards aren't current and in place, it's fruitless to hunt for errors in your data.
  • Validate Your Information-

Acquire data tools that allow you to clean your data in real-time to ensure accuracy. The commencement of data scrubbing is signalled by this validation. 
Scrub Duplicates from Your Database-
Use data scrubbing tools to search for and remove redundant information, which is common when users must integrate two databases.
  • Have the information analysed-

After your data has been cleaned and scrubbed, double-check that it complies with all applicable requirements and standards. Use a third-party data tool for verification if possible.

3. Who Should Employ Data Scrubbing, and Why?

It should go without saying that everyone should have clean data. Specific sectors and industries, on the other hand, must prioritise data cleansing due to the critical roles they play in society.
Data scrubbing is a top priority in data-intensive industries including banking/finance, insurance, retail, and telecommunications, which is unsurprising.
The following is a list of the most common causes of database errors:
  • During data entry, a human error occurred.
  • Database fusion
  • Data standards that aren't industry-wide or company-specific
  • Older systems that hold on to data that is no longer relevant
 

4. The Best Data Cleansing Tools

  • Winpure

Winpure is a popular and fairly priced data cleaning programme that cleans massive amounts of data, eliminates duplicates, and quickly corrects and standardises your data. It can deal with data from databases, spreadsheets, CRMs, and other sources, and it's compatible with databases like Access, Dbase, and SQL Server. Advanced data purification, high-speed data scrubbing, and multi-language versions are among Winpure's capabilities.
 
  • OpenRefine

This open-source programme, formerly known as Google Refine, cleans, maintains, and manipulates data. It can handle hundreds of thousands of rows of data, which is impressive for a free tool. In addition to data cleaning, OpenRefine provides a set of editing tools that allow you to rename, filter, and add certain aspects to your data. Look no further if you have a tight budget and want a free yet strong application.
 
  • Cloudingo

If your company uses Salesforce, this is the product you need. This service can perform any data cleansing task you can think of, including data migration, deduplication, and other tasks. The system can handle enterprises of any size and is intelligent enough to detect human errors and data issues. With REST and SOAP frameworks, there's even more support for application programming interfaces (API).
  • Ladder of Data

According to 15 independent studies, Data Ladder is a popular tool with a reputation for speed and accuracy. The software features a simple user interface and includes everything you'll need to match, clean, and deduplicate your data. It also uses an excellent set of algorithms to detect difficulties with fuzzy, phonetic, and shortened data.
 

What is scrubbing of data?

The practise of correcting incorrect, incomplete, duplicate, or otherwise erroneous data in a data set is known as data cleansing or data scrubbing. It entails finding data mistakes and then correcting them by modifying, updating, or eliminating data.

What is the process of cleaning data?

The process of editing, revising, and organising data within a data set such that it is typically uniform and ready for analysis is known as data cleaning. This entails eliminating any faulty or useless data and structuring it in a computer-readable format for best analysis.

What is information cleaning and scrubbing?

A technique for removing and/or correcting erroneous information. The method, also known as "data cleansing/scrubbing," is commonly used in databases to track inconsistent data, sometimes known as "dirty data."

What is the difference between data cleansing and data scrubbing?

The process of "cleaning up" data is known as data cleansing or data scrubbing. The rectification or deletion of old, erroneous, redundant, or incomplete data from a database is known as data cleansing.

How do I scrub data in Excel?

To eliminate duplicates, you'll utilise Excel's built-in function, as illustrated below. Two rows in the original dataset are duplicates. To get rid of duplicate data, go to the toolbar and pick the data option, then go to the Data Tools ribbon and select the "Remove Duplicates" option.