The goal of every database administrator is to have clean data. Maintaining clean data in Social Solutions Apricot™ software requires consistent, diligent effort. Step one is to implement data quality reviews that check the data entry of your users on a regular basis.

Why are data quality reviews important?

Healthy data improves the integrity of Apricot reports. Data quality reviews can improve the quality of your data by confirming that the records in your Apricot database are complete and accurate.

1. Complete Data – Incomplete data is generally removed from reports because it makes reports lackluster or even hard to read. Complete data guarantees that reports will be complete, with no gaps or holes.
2. Accurate Data – Data is often used to validate strategic decisions, so data quality is of paramount importance when people expect the data to be accurate. With accurate data, you will be able to run and share Apricot reports with confidence.

Regular data quality reviews should check all records and confirm that they are complete and accurate.

How to set up manual data quality reviews

Data quality reviews come in many forms.

Manual data quality reviews are the easiest to implement, but they are also the most time-intensive to complete.

Manual data quality reviews report on all records created within a date range (e.g. last month). An administrator reviews the report to confirm that each row in the report is complete and accurate. The administrator corrects errors manually if any are found.

Even though manual data quality reviews can be time-consuming, the process of creating the data quality report is the same for any record in Apricot software.

Create a record detail report

A record detail report displays all fields on a record (i.e. the detail) for all records created in a date range. For this example, our date range will be “last month.”

For example, if your Tier 1 form is a client intake form, then add columns to your report for name, address, other contact details, date of birth, demographics, and all other fields on the intake form. Then filter the report on the record “created date” of last month.

Follow these steps:

1. Create a new report in the Administrator area.
2. Pull in all fields from a single form into a single report section.
3. Also pull in the “created date” field for that form. The “created date” field will be used for the filter.
4. Select the plus sign next to Filters.
5. You have two options for the filter. You can review records created last month, or you can review records from last month based on a custom date field like intake date. It is possible that you will miss records in some data quality reviews if you use a custom date field because of backdating. We recommend the “created date” for the filter.
6. Add sections to your report for other forms in your Apricot database. Use the same method outlined above for each new section.
7. Save and Publish the Report.
8. Go to My Apricot and My Reports.
9. Run the data quality report.
10. You can review the data on-screen or export to Excel.

Review the record detail report and take action

• Review the report for blanks in fields that aren’t required. Do you know information for those blanks? If so, fill them in manually.
• Review the report for inaccuracies. Are the fields accurate? If not, correct any inaccuracies manually.
• Review the report for missing records. Are there records that should be on this report? If yes, enter those records in your database or search for an existing record to determine the reason why it didn’t display in the report.
• Review the report for missing details. Are report-critical fields missing from a record? If yes, correct those records manually.

Other uses for record detail reports

• If the report is for Tier 1 records, it can give you insight into profile characteristics of newly acquired Tier 1 records like client or volunteer profiles.
• If the report is for Tier 2 records, it can be used to evaluate trends in services, activities, attendances, or referrals for a date range.

Implement data quality processes

Managing the consistency, quality, and accuracy of data is critical. Managing data quality in Apricot software can often feel overwhelming, but simple processes like manual data quality reviews, conducted on a consistent schedule, can help you get started.