Information is a vital resource for the success of any organization. Future of an organization lies in using and disseminating information wisely. Good quality information placed in right context in right time tells us about opportunities and problems well in advance.

Good quality information − Quality is a value that would vary according to the users and uses of the information.

According to Wang and Strong, following are the dimensions or elements of Information Quality −

• Intrinsic − Accuracy, Objectivity, Believability, Reputation

• Contextual − Relevancy, Value-Added, Timeliness, Completeness, Amount of information

• Representational − Interpretability, Format, Coherence, Compatibility

• Accessibility − Accessibility, Access security

Various authors propose various lists of metrics for assessing the quality of information. Let us generate a list of the most essential characteristic features for information quality −

• Reliability − It should be verifiable and dependable.

• Timely − It must be current and it must reach the users well in time, so that important decisions can be made in time.

• Relevant − It should be current and valid information and it should reduce uncertainties.

• Accurate − It should be free of errors and mistakes, true, and not deceptive.

• Sufficient − It should be adequate in quantity, so that decisions can be made on its basis.

• Unambiguous − It should be expressed in clear terms. In other words, in should be comprehensive.

• Complete − It should meet all the needs in the current context.

• Unbiased − It should be impartial, free from any bias. In other words, it should have integrity.

• Explicit − It should not need any further explanation.

• Comparable − It should be of uniform collection, analysis, content, and format.

• Reproducible − It could be used by documented methods on the same data set to achieve a consistent result.