Here's an absolutely fascinating article, by Noreen Kendle, regarding the philosophy of data. This is a must read for anyone who has to deal with data from a data warehousing perspective.

Ms. Kendle tackles the philosophy of data from an oft neglected, yet vital, viewpoint. She acknowledges that the "ultimate goal of data is to provide useful, accurate information in support of knowledge, as knowledge is power." Ms. Kendle then immediately goes on to assert that "the usefulness of data is directly dependent on the accuracy of its alignment to reality." So, in these two sentences, she has captured the essence of Data Warehousing. Data must be of the highest quality possible so as to provide the best answers available.

I would highly recommend that, if you are interested in Data Warehousing, or even just dealing with data in general, that you peruse and savor this little gem. As Ms. Kendle reminds us: "'If that data isn't right, nothing is.' There cannot be a truer statement."