What is data integrity?

Data integrity is a term used to indicate the accuracy and reliability of data. The data must be complete, without variations or compromises from the original to be considered reliable and accurate. Compromises of data integrity can occur in a number of ways. In industrial sectors where the data is processed, the identification and solution of potential data damage is an important aspect of data security.

data integrity problems can start with a human source. People entering records can make errors, leading to changes between the original data and the data stored in the system. Likewise, people can make errors in transmission or copying data electronically, causing the difference between different versions of the file or file links. To maintain data integrity, changes or data changes may not occur. Faults on the May computer lead to partial rewriting data or other data in data. Viruses can be created to attack data integrity, some quietly working on data damage without betraying their presence.Interruption in various operations can lead to problems as well as mechanical damage, such as exposure to magnets or physical damage caused by power outages and other events.

Data architecture designers for everything from government databases to file systems in personal computers must consider data integrity when working on such systems. They think about how the system will be used, identifies obvious potential threats and develops methods to ensure the data protection system. The inability to advance can lead to catastrophic compromises and potential unintentionally release of secure or sensitive data, which is a particularly big problem with databases containing personal or identifiable information about individuals and institutions.

people working with databases can be provided with data integrity training, including reminders of data review as specified, regularly stored andback up data and immediately report any suspicion of compromises or dubious activities. The faster the problem is recognized, the easier it will solve. Supporting staff, such as information technology employees, also work on database protection against external attacks such as firewalls, antivirus software and periodic scanning for malicious code. Similarly, systems can also be designed to lock data in the format only to be protected from handling or disturbing that could endanger its integrity.