As Data Quality: The Field Guide winds its way into publication, the nation, indeed the entire world, is again captivated by issues of poor data quality. The elections in the United States have taken place and the results are unfolding. And in the most important election of all, for President of the United States, we still (as of November 15, 2000) do not know who the winner will be. Of course, some votes are as yet uncounted. But the wait for those votes is not what has captured the world's attention. Rather it is questions of:

• The accuracy of the various counts and recounts

• How the end-to-end "election chain" is supposed to work

• The final result and the consequences of the above

People everywhere must now understand that data quality is not some esoteric computer issue, but one that can affect their daily lives in profound ways. Somewhat more subtly, most people, whether they support or oppose recounts, realize how hard they are to complete. The Field Guide has repeatedly hammered home the message that data quality efforts must focus on preventing future errors. Obviously, the period until the next election offers the opportunity to do so.

Volumes will be written about all aspects of the elections in many states. Intense scrutiny will be the norm. We do not wish to join the debate (we noted earlier in The Field Guide that everything about data quality was politically charged. At the time that statement was written we...