How You Can Help Maintain Data Quality in AGIIS

AGIIS Update

How You Can Help Maintain Data Quality in AGIIS

By Chris Crutchfield  AgGateway Member Services

February marked the completion of the annual maintenance on AgGateway’s Ag Industry Identification System (AGIIS) service, with the successful inactivation of duplicate entities. Back in December, we performed address standardization, Locatable Address Conversion System, National Change of Address, area code split, and GLN reuse maintenance to the database.

Each year, when these maintenance activities are complete, we take the opportunity to analyze the updates to AGIIS resulting from annual maintenance. From this analysis, we have been able to recognize areas for system and process improvement, helping to ensure that only quality data makes its way into the database.

Out of last year’s analysis for example, we identified areas where we could improve duplicate detection, and as a result, took advantage of new name standardization technology to improve the duplicate detection process. While we continue to improve data quality with system enhancements like this one, there are things that you, an AGIIS user, can do to help in this effort.

So, the next time you add or update an entity in AGIIS, please consider the following to help maintain AGIIS data quality:

  1. Avoid unnecessary abbreviations – Whenever possible, try to avoid unnecessary abbreviations. This will help the duplicate detection software in identifying potential duplicate entities.
  2. Review Potential Duplicate Warnings – When AGIIS presents a list of potential duplicates, review the list carefully, paying attention to both company and DBA names. Also, be sure to check for common nicknames (e.g., Robert vs. Bob, or Jack vs. John). 
  3. Standardize Addresses – Whenever possible, submit an address that is already standardized. Use the resources that AGIIS provides to help standardize an address before submitting.
  4. Follow AGIIS Enumeration Rules – Only submit those entities that are allowed for enumeration in AGIIS. For examples of allowable entities, and those not allowed, please see pages 25 and 26 of the AGIIS Operational Procedures Document.
  5. Grower Name vs. Business Name – When enumerating a grower entity, be sure to use the grower name fields (first name, middle name, last name, suffix) as opposed to the Company/ DBA Name fields. This also aids in the duplicate detection process.

By adhering to these suggestions for entity enumeration, coupled with routine system maintenance and analysis, we can all ensure that only quality data resides in the AGIIS database.

If you have any questions about adding or updating entities in AGIIS, please email Member.Services@AgGateway.org. For more information about AGIIS business rules and procedures, please review the AGIIS Operational Procedures Document and the AGIIS Policy Document located under the Links menu in AGIIS. Thank you!