News
 The
Effects of Using Faulty Business Data
The growing use of slipshod business data is a dirty
little secret in today’s business world, leading to
bad business decisions, lost productivity and
increase on-the-job stress. How can faulty data
affect you?
A recent survey by Harris Interactive on behalf of
Business Objects, a business intelligence solutions
provider, showcases the effects of using inaccurate
business data. According to the survey, up to 75
percent of information workers have made business
decisions that later turned out to be wrong due to
flawed data. For example, nearly three out of four
U.S. information workers – or 72 percent – had made
poor business decisions because of flawed data.
Information workers are those who use data from
spreadsheets, reports, business intelligence
software and other computer applications to make
decisions in their jobs.
Another key finding from the survey – few workers
have the information they need. According to the
report, business data is often unavailable or
inaccessible to workers. About 10 percent of
information workers said they always had all the
information needed to confidently make a decision.
The survey also reveals that today’s information
workers spend too much time verifying the accuracy
of their data – an average of 12 hours per week in
the U.S. Workers therefore spend as much as 30
percent of the workweek (assuming it’s a 40-hour
workweek) verifying the accuracy of data,
translating into a significant productivity loss.
Another important key finding: Most workers had
their data challenged. Up to 89 percent of
information workers have had their data challenged
or questioned by their boss or co-workers. Bad data
just adds to the stress and pressure of the workday.
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