Data Grooming and Data Migration

Typical Client Requirements
Virtually all systems accummulate dirty data over time. Long standing systems are generally more vulnerable because they carry forward legacy constraints even if they now reside in a modern database like SQL Server. A common impetus for cleaning up data is a pending system migration. One expects a newer system to have better data structures, but that also means that existing data probably won't fully comply with the stricter requirements and therefore can't be migrated until the data is cleaned up. Other reasons for data grooming is a slower performance of data processes and reports. In some cases, processes will fail due to the presence of duplicate data.

Solution Scenarios
If a migration is pending, then a review of its design will serve as the primary guideline for what kinds of data grooming is necessary. Once a data model exists for the primary data tables, it becomes a straightforward exercise to test for data normalization irregularities. Orphaned children, lack of congruence, missing observations, etc. are also reasons to mop up.