Data Integrity refers to the accuracy, consistency and reliability of data throughout its lifecycle. It ensures that data remains unaltered during storage, retrieval and transmission, preventing corruption, unauthorised modifications, or accidental errors.
Key Aspects
Accuracy – Ensuring that data is correct and free from errors.
Consistency – Maintaining uniformity of data across different databases and storage locations.
Completeness – Ensuring that all required data is present and not missing any critical information.
Validity – Verifying that data adheres to predefined rules, formats and constraints.
Security – Protecting data from unauthorised access, modifications, or deletion.
Methods to ensure data integrity include database constraints, checksums, hashing, encryption and access controls. Data integrity is critical in various fields such as finance, healthcare and cybersecurity, where incorrect or tampered data can have severe consequences.