The essential guide to data integrity: why it matters and how to achieve it

Data integrity refers to the accuracy, consistency, and quality of data during its lifecycle. It is crucial for businesses in today's competitive landscape as it enables accurate decision-making, sustains business relationships, and ensures compliance with regulatory requirements such as GDPR. Examples of data integrity include regular data backups, input validation, and access controls. Data integrity serves important purposes such as enabling efficient business processes, allowing effective decision-making, and safeguarding against breaches, manipulation, and unauthorized access. It is distinct from data security and data quality but interconnected in their concepts. The two main types of data integrity are physical data integrity and logical data integrity. Common causes of data integrity issues include hardware issues, software issues, and human error. Methods to ensure data integrity include data backup and recovery, data encryption, access controls and authorization, and data validation and verification. Benefits of data integrity for businesses include maintaining customer trust, complying with regulations, improving decision-making, and enhancing operational efficiency.