Establish Publisher Definition of "Accuracy". The central measurement of "Accuracy" is based on its being "fit for purpose". Restated, for what purpose, application or use is the data item to be used. For example, if the job title and place of employment of a person 1 year ago is "adequate" for purpose, then 1 year old data could be termed "accurate". If more current or accurate data is required for the purpose to be made of the data, then a more recent validation is required.

Determine the date of Last Data Item Validation. The most reliable measure of the accuracy of an item of data is the date of the last validation of the data item.

Validate the Data Item to a Transaction with the Data Subject or Data Owner. Many businesses have reliable, accurate information present in Company “information silos”. Examples include customer contact files, Relationship management databases, Credit and Payment history information, Subject, Asset Owner... etc.

Validate to a Reference Data Source where the date of validation is available. Examples of such reliable reference sources include Dun and Bradstreet (an OKS Group Client), Scholastic Corporation (an OKS Group client, Governmental organizations, Postal Administrations, Credit Bureau, Trade Associations.

Direct Contact Validation with the Data Subject or Data Asset Owner. Methods of direct contact validation include

1. Postal
2. Electronic (e-mail or Internet Browser Based)
3. Outbound or Inbound Telephone contact
4. Face-to-face contact