Whether you are working with files or databases of customer data you’ll likely have an idea of the data contents of that object.
When programmers create databases they are typically required to consider factors in the database schema like datatype, field length etc. When you are working with files, this is not really required but can be useful. When you don’t have a schema definition that elaborates these critical facets of a dataset, you compromise the ultimate integrity and data quality assurance of the underlying data.
Data quality compromises as a result of weak controls lead to other kinds of problems that you could avoid if you added more controls and discipline to curated data. Establishing a robust schema definition is a starting point for data quality management in customer master data management.
There are no definitive data quality or data definition standards for customer data. We can leverage standards, in some cases, ISO recommendations, and database best practices based on maximum known values. In the end, it is all at your own discretion or dependent on the configuration and expectation of your various systems of record
Here are some common dataset schema definitions along with their maximum recommended allowable length and data type.
| Field | Data Type | Max length |
| First name | Alphanumeric | 50 |
| Last name | Alphanumeric | 50 |
| Display name | Alphanumeric | 100 |
| Street address | Alphanumeric | 100 |
| Town | Alphanumeric | 60 |
| State | Alphanumeric | 50 |
| Country name | Alphanumeric | 55 |
| Postal code | Alphanumeric | 9 |
| Monetary amounts | Decimal Numeric | 16 |
| Date of birth | Date | 10 |
| Age | Numeric | 3 |
| Email address | Email Address | 254 |
| Phone number | Alphanumeric | 15 |
| Phone number extension | Numeric | 11 |
| National Identity | Alphanumeric | 19 |
| IP address | IP Address | 12 |
| Company name | Alphanumeric | 100 |
| Longitude | Decimal Numeric | 9 |
| Latitude | Decimal Numeric | 8 |
| Twitter handle | Alphanumeric | 15 |
| Linkedin Name | Alphanumeric | 29 |
| Facebook Name | Alphanumeric | 50 |
| Instagram Name | Alphanumeric | 64 |
| What3Words Address | Alphanumeric | 56 |
Your particular system of use or interest may have some all or more than the schema items called out here, in addition it may be more constrictive.
To learn more about defining your own schemas in the Pretectum CMDM and benefit from the Pretectum advantage contact us for more information