San Francisco-based CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) starts major projects with a close look at the client's database, making sure all the information is correct.

"It's amazing how many organizations have systems in place that contain flawed data," observes Georgia Perkey, CBRE senior managing director. "Our teams validate the real estate database early on to make sure that it's accurate and feeds to and from other systems appropriately."

Ensuring continued data integrity also requires that processes be put in place to monitor data entry. For example, data watches on particular fields can reveal what happens to the information once it is entered into the system and also allow electronic validation.

"In addition to the validation on the initial data entry, we also try to identify the places where data might be changed as we've redefined new workflows and new processes," she explains.

"If we can be reasonably assured that the initial data conversion is valid, then we can create electronic ways to monitor how that information changes over time, and whether it still maintains its integrity with other data. It's a combination of a little data mining, a little data watching, and a little bit of work flow. Many software vendors now have these types of tools as part of their package."
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