TUTORIAL-7
1.
Determine if an entry in Wikipedia is an example of transactional information or
analytical information.
From the customer’s perspective Wikipedia entries are an example of analytical
information. They are using the information to research a topic, make a decision, or
perform an analysis. From Wikipedia’s perspective each entry is an example of
transactional information since it is their primary business to gain entries from individual
contributors.
2.
What is the impact to Wikipedia if the information contained in its database is of
low quality?
If Wikipedia contained information that was inaccurate its customers would discontinue
using it as a source for information. It could also find itself in legal trouble if it allows
entries stating inaccurate information about people, which is known as defamation of
character. This point is demonstrated in the case when Wikipedia had to start restricting
access by tightening its rules for submitting entries following the disclosure that it ran a
piece falsely implicating a man in the Kennedy assassination.
3.
Review the five common characteristics of high quality information and rank them
in order of importance to Wikipedia.
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4.
Timeliness – Wikipedia’s information must be timely. If users are receiving old and
outdated entries, or no entries for a new topic, they will not continue using Wikipedia.
An encyclopedia that is outdated is not very useful.
Accuracy – Wikipedia’s entries must be accurate, and if they are inaccurate the users
can change the definition to ensure it is accurate. An encyclopedia that is inaccurate is
useless.
Consistency – Wikipedia’s results must be consistent. Users will not trust the system
if it provides different definitions for the same entry. An encyclopedia that offers
inconsistent terms is not useful.
Completeness – Wikipedia’s entry results need to be complete. An encyclopedia that
does not contain vast amounts of information is not useful.
Uniqueness – Wikipedia’s customers want unique answers to each entry. Multiple
answers to a term will confuse the customer and they will not be able to know which
answer is correct. An encyclopedia cannot have multiple answers for each term.
How is Wikipedia resolving the issue of poor information?
Wikipedia originally allowed unrestricted access so that people could contribute to the
site without undergoing a registration process. As with any database management system,
governance is a key issue. Without governance, there is no control over how information
is published and maintained. But as Websites like Wikipedia grow in volume, it will be
nearly impossible to govern them. Wikipedia began tightening its rules for submitting
entries following the disclosure that it ran a piece falsely implication a man in the
Kennedy assassination. Wikipedia now requires users to register before they can create
articles.
5.
Identify the different types of entities that might be stored in Wikipedia’s database.
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6.
Entities could include:
SUBJECT AREA
SEARCH TERM
WEB PAGE
RESOURCE EDITOR
Why is database technology so important to Wikipedia’s business model?
Without databases, Wikipedia simply would not exist for two primary reasons. First, vast
amounts of information are at the heart of Wikipedia and without databases it would be
impossible to store and retrieve the information. This is the information that Wikipedia’s
customers are editing and researching. Second, Wikipedia uses database to store its
indexes and to find and retrieve the information that its customers are looking for. Again,
without databases Wikipedia simply would not exist – its business operates entirely on
databases.
7.
How could Wikipedia use a data warehouse to improve its business operations?
Wikipedia could use a data warehouse to build a repository of information from sources
all over the world. The data warehouse could be used to perform detailed analysis on
subject matters ranging from history to medicine.
8.
Why must Wikipedia cleanse or scrub the information in its data warehouse?
Wikipedia must maintain high quality information in its data warehouse. Information
cleansing and scrubbing is a process that weeds out and fixes or discards inconsistent,
incorrect, or incomplete information. Without high quality information Wikipedia will be
unable to offer customers accurate and complete information.
9.
How could a company use information from Wikipedia to gain business
intelligence?
Business intelligence comes from such things as environmental scanning and market
analysis. A company could use information from Wikipedia as external information in its
data warehouse that could help it analyses new trends and technologies.