Data reliability
Data reliability is the measure of how accurate and complete a set of data is. Reliable data creates reproducible outcomes and performs consistently across repeated projections, analysis, and testing. Data reliability for the Federal Audit Clearinghouse is crucial to building trust with our Federal partners and the public.
How do we ensure reliability?
Quality assurance is built into each step of the FAC data pipeline, from collection to publication as well as periodic checks and monitoring.
To ensure the data we collect is reliable and consistent, we’ve built multiple levels of validation into the FAC intake system. For more information on how data is submitted to the FAC, visit our audit resources page.
Maintenance and curation
The Federal Audit Clearinghouse maintains the audit records of Single Audit submissions from 2016-present. It is easy to think that data collected in the past "never changes," but as systems evolve, so must the data and the tools that access it. And, sometimes, the data itself must change or be cared for.
Curation is the act of looking after a collection. We use this word intentionally to describe how we manage the data contained within the FAC, as it implies that we do not simply collect and store data, but we must also monitor and improve the quality of that data over time, where possible. Sometimes we engage in curatorial acts because of errors discovered, and sometimes because of changes to the data collection or system itself.
Read more about the ongoing curation of data in the FAC and known errors in that data.
Continuous improvement
We ticket known issues or bugs in our product backlog on GitHub as they are discovered. Because these are updated often, visiting GitHub is the best way to review our current issues. To learn what work we have planned next please see the FAC product roadmap at the top of our updates page.
Working with data from The FAC
We welcome your questions and feedback via our Helpdesk. The FAC help desk is staffed by our own implementation team, and is a reliable and direct way to contact us.