Secondary Data Sources – Wk 3 MR
Secondary data is information gathered by others for other purposes. We utilize secondary data as background information and to provide data so we do not have to do lengthy and/or multiple primary research surveys.
Secondary data advantages are it is time and cost effective. The disadvantages are the data we find is not always a great fit and can be inaccurate. We may have problems with the definitions, units of measure, depth and age of the data. We also need to be certain the data is accurate, relevant and from a reliable source.
Secondary data can be obtained from internal sources such as sales reports, customer database (CRM – customer relationship management programs), product and customer records. We can also obtain information from sources outside of our business. External sources include: Google, trade publications, U.S. Census, reference librarians, universities, Pew Research, etc.
When we are curating data we need to keep the following in mind:
- Know your objective from the start
- What is the bigger picture?
- Be direct
- Be additive, not duplicative
- Embrace transparency
- Understand your audience
- Be data-agnostic
- Curation is about communication
Week 3 Overview video (Lecture video is below)
Week 3 Lecture video