Detection of Data Errors in the Practice of Inventory Management

Abstract

There is strong evidence that data stored in organizational databases have a significant rate of errors. As computerized databases continue to proliferate, the number of errors in stored data and the organizational impact of these errors are likely to increase. The impact of data errors on business processes and decision making can be lessened if users of information systems are able and willing to detect and correct data errors. However, some published research suggests that users of information systems do not detect data errors. A field study reported here shows that inventory managers detect data errors under some conditions. Perceptions of the payoffs of error detection and the rate of errors in inventory management are also discussed.