Which statement best describes the relationship between data quality management and data profiling?

• A. Data profiling is an initial step used to identify quality issues that data quality management can address
• B. Data profiling replaces data quality management
• C. Data profiling only checks syntax
• D. Data profiling stores data

Answer: (A)

Profiling serves as the diagnostic step in a data quality program. It analyzes data content to understand quality across dimensions like completeness, accuracy, consistency, uniqueness, validity, and referential integrity. By surfacing issues such as missing values, duplicates, invalid formats, and unusual value distributions, profiling creates a baseline that data quality management uses to define rules, assign ownership, and plan cleansing and remediation. This makes profiling an initial activity that informs where to focus data quality efforts. It does not replace data quality management, which encompasses governance, standards, and ongoing monitoring. Profiling also goes beyond merely checking syntax and does not store data.