ISO 8000-8:2015

Data quality - Part 8: Information and data quality: Concepts and measuring

ISO 8000-8:2015 describes fundamental concepts of information and data quality, and how these concepts apply to quality management processes and quality management systems. It also specifies prerequisites for measuring information and data quality when executed within quality management processes and quality management systems.

Qualité des données — Partie 8: Informations et qualité des données: Concepts et mesurage

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 09-Nov-2015
• ICS: 01.040.25 - Manufacturing engineering (Vocabularies)
• ICS: 25.040.40 - Industrial process measurement and control
• Technical Committee: ISO/TC 184/SC 4 - Industrial data
• Drafting Committee: ISO/TC 184/SC 4/WG 13 - Industrial Data Quality
• Current Stage: 9093 - International Standard confirmed
• Start Date: 16-Aug-2022
• Completion Date: 13-Dec-2025

Overview

ISO 8000-8:2015 - "Data quality - Part 8: Information and data quality: Concepts and measuring" defines core concepts and practical prerequisites for measuring information and data quality. Part of the ISO 8000 series, this standard explains the three primary quality dimensions - syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic - and specifies what must be in place to perform verifiable measurements within quality management processes and quality management systems. It applies across organizations, data types, storage media, software and life‑cycle stages.

Key topics and requirements

• Three quality categories
  • Syntactic quality: degree to which data conforms to its specified syntax (metadata and implementation schema).
  • Semantic quality: degree to which data corresponds to what it represents (mapping to entities in a conceptual model).
  • Pragmatic quality: degree to which data is suitable and worthwhile for a particular purpose (usage‑based requirements expressed as dimensions).
• Prerequisites for measurement
  • A complete set of syntactic quality rules (Annex B) and formal expression specifications.
  • For each rule: defined compliance metrics, explanation of non‑compliance effects, how deviations are recorded, and counts of checks and compliant occurrences.
  • A documented conceptual model and a presentation of data that enables mapping to that model for semantic verification.
  • Prescribed verification and validation methods, and documentation of any external entities not checked.
• Reporting and conformance
  • Requirements to report measurement methods, scales used, sampling/statistical approaches when full checks are infeasible, and confidence information (which rules were checked, exceptions, sampling limits).
• Supporting materials
  • Informative annexes (syntactic rules, pragmatic quality guidance, and an activity model for measuring data quality - Annex D).

Applications and who uses it

ISO 8000-8 is practical for organizations that need rigorous, repeatable ways to measure and report data quality across information systems. Typical use cases:

• Data governance, master data management (MDM) and data stewardship - defining measurable quality rules and conformance reporting.
• Data migration, integration and exchange - verifying syntactic conformity and semantic correspondence across systems.
• Quality management systems - embedding data quality measurement into existing ISO‑based QMS processes.
• Teams and roles: data managers, data stewards, IT architects, quality managers, auditors, and business sponsors responsible for information‑dependent processes (capturing, storing, archiving, retrieving, transferring, delivering, disposing).

Related standards

• ISO 8000 series (see ISO/TS 8000‑1 for architecture and ISO 8000‑2 for vocabulary)
• References to ISO 9000 concepts (requirements, verification, validation) and other ISO/IEC definitions used for clarity.

Keywords: ISO 8000-8, data quality, information quality, data quality measurement, syntactic quality, semantic quality, pragmatic quality, quality management systems, metadata, conceptual model, data governance.

Standards Content (Sample)

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 8000-8
First edition
2015-11-15
Data quality —
Part 8:
Information and data quality:
Concepts and measuring
Qualité des données —
Partie 8: Informations et qualité des données: Concepts et mesurage
Reference number
©
ISO 2015
© ISO 2015, Published in Switzerland
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form
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ii © ISO 2015 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Fundamental concepts . 2
5 Information and data quality . 3
5.1 Syntactic quality . 3
5.2 Semantic quality . 3
5.3 Pragmatic quality . 5
6 Conformance . 5
Annex A (normative) Document identification . 6
Annex B (informative) Syntactic quality rules . 7
Annex C (informative) Pragmatic quality . 8
Annex D (informative) Activity model for measuring information and data quality .9
Bibliography .15
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of
any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation on the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity assessment,
as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the
Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see the following URL: www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
The committee responsible for this document is Technical Committee ISO/TC 184, Industrial automation
systems and integration, Subcommittee SC 4 Industrial data.
ISO 8000 is organized as a series of parts, each published separately. The structure of ISO 8000 is
described in ISO/TS 8000–1.
A complete list of parts of ISO 8000 is available from the Internet:
http://www.iso.org/iso/home/store.htm
iv © ISO 2015 – All rights reserved

Introduction
The ability to create, collect, store, maintain, transfer, process and present information and to
support business processes in a timely and cost effective manner requires both an understanding of
the characteristics of the information and data that determine its quality, and an ability to measure,
manage and report on information and data quality.
ISO 8000 defines characteristics of information and data that determine its quality, and provides
methods to manage, measure, and improve the quality of information and data.
When assessing the quality of information and data, it is useful to perform the assessment in accordance
with documented methods. It is also important to document the tailoring of standardized methods with
respect to the expectation and requirements pertinent to the business.
ISO 8000 includes parts applicable to all types of data, and parts applicable to specific types of data.
ISO 8000 can be used independently or in conjunction with quality management systems.
This part of ISO 8000 can be used on its own or in conjunction with other parts of ISO 8000.
This part of ISO 8000 is intended for use by those actors that have a vested interest in information
or data quality, with a focus on one or more information systems both inter-organization and intra-
organization views, and throughout all life cycle phases.
When assessing whether the quality of information and data is sufficient, it is necessary to establish the
threshold, pertinent to the business, for each object to be measured. This part of ISO 8000 does not set
these thresholds.
When talking of measured values, it is important to state the scale used. This part of ISO 8000 does
not define the scales against which the quality of information and data are measured, but call for them
to be stated.
When communicating the result of the quantification of the quality of information and data, it is useful
for the receiver to be able to understand the confidence of the result. In particular, it is important to
know if any rule was not applied, or if any information or data was not checked.
This part of ISO 8000 provides the following:
— a definition of information and data quality;
— a structured way to plan and perform information and data quality measurements;
— prerequisites for measuring information and data quality;
— requirements for reporting information and data quality measurements.
This part of ISO 8000 is applicable independent of status of organization, type of information or data,
hardware storage medium, software, information security and information life cycle stage.
This part of ISO 8000 can be used in relation to activities that use or depend on information or data.
These activities include capturing, storing, archiving, retrieving, tracking, transferring, displaying,
delivering, and disposal of data.
1)
NOTE The planned ISO 8000–9 is intended to provide guidance on how to apply this part of ISO 8000 in a
quality management system and through the life cycle stages of systems and software.
1) Under preparation.
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 8000-8:2015(E)
Data quality —
Part 8:
Information and data quality: Concepts and measuring
1 Scope
This part of ISO 8000 describes fundamental concepts of information and data quality, and how these
concepts apply to quality management processes and quality management systems.
It also specifies prerequisites for measuring information and data quality when executed within quality
management processes and quality management systems.
2 Normative references
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and are
indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated
references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 8000–2, Data quality — Part 2: Vocabulary
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO 8000–2 and the following apply.
3.1
data
reinterpretable representation of information in a formalized manner suitable for communication,
interpretation, or processing
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 2382:2015, 2121272, modified — Notes to entry have been removed.]
3.2
entity
concrete or abstract thing in the domain under consideration
[SOURCE: ISO 19439:2006, 3.29, modified — The word “any” has been removed at the start of the
definition.]
3.3
information
knowledge concerning objects, such as facts, events, things, processes, or ideas, including concepts, that
within a certain context has a particular meaning
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 2382:2015, 2121271, modified — Field of application and notes to entry have
been removed.]
3.4
metadata
data that defines and describes other data
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 11179-1:2004, 3.2.16]
3.5
requirement
need or expectation that is stated, generally implied or obligatory
[SOURCE: ISO 9000:2015, 3.6.4, modified — Notes to entry have been removed.]
3.6
verification
confirmation, through the provision of objective evidence, that specified requirements have been fulfilled
[SOURCE: ISO 9000:2015, 3.8.12, modified — Notes to entry have been removed.]
3.7
validation
confirmation, through the provision of objective evidence, that the requirements for a specific intended
use or application have been fulfilled
[SOURCE: ISO 9000:2015, 3.8.13, modified — Notes to entry have been removed.]
4 Fundamental concepts
An information system is a designed system that collects, stores, processes, and distributes information
about the state of a domain. The information is represented and formalized in the system as data, and
presented through user interfaces.
NOTE 1 For an explanation of states of domains, see Reference [13].
The main purpose of this part of ISO 8000 is to provide a foundation for measuring information and data
quality. Information and data quality is defined and measured according to the following categories:
— syntactic quality, which is the degree to which data conforms to its specified syntax, i.e. requirements
stated by the metadata;
— semantic quality, which is the degree to which data corresponds to what it represents;
— pragmatic quality, which is the degree to which data is found suitable and worthwhile for a
particular purpose.
Measuring syntactic and semantic quality is performed through a verification process, while measuring
pragmatic quality is performed through a validation process.
When measuring a physical object, the measurements can be described as the dimensions length,
width and height. If the object is a cylinder, radius is a candidate characteristic. Establishing a useful
set of characteristics pertinent to the case at hand is important in order to cater for communication
of the measurements. This part of ISO 8000 offers a set of dimensions for quantifying the quality of
information and data.
An activity model supporting information and data quality measurement is provided in Annex D.
See ISO/TS 8000–1 for the overall description and architecture of ISO 8000.
2)
NOTE 2 The planned ISO/TS 8000–3 is intended to further explain the architecture of ISO 8000.
2) Under preparation.
2 © ISO 2015 – All rights reserved

5 Information and data quality
5.1 Syntactic quality
Syntactic quality is the degree to which data conforms to its specified syntax, i.e. requirements stated
by the metadata.
EXAMPLE 1 A specific set of data conforms to its implementation schema.
EXAMPLE 2 A specific sentence conforms to the grammatical rules of the language and use words from the
language dictionary.
For a syntactic verification to comply with this part of ISO 8000, i.e. that syntactic quality can be
measured, the following shall be available:
— a complete set of syntactic quality rules (see Annex B);
— a formal specification of how the information is expressed;
— for each syntactic rule:
— the definition of how compliance is to be measured;
— a description of the issues that will arise in the data set if the data does not comply to the rule;
— a description of what it means not to comply to a rule;
EXAMPLE 3 Duplicates could occur when the entity integrity rule is violated.
— if there are any rules defined that are not subject to checking then these shall be listed;
— the definition
...