This lesson should take about 40 minutes to complete. After completing this lesson, you should be able to identify at least five methods you can use to determine whether your query results are correct.

Lesson 5. Evaluating Query Results

Activity 1

Read the document "Verifying Query Results" and then complete Activity 2. (After completing the reading, use your browser's back to return to this lesson.)

Activity 2

After reading "Verifying Query Results," please answer the following questions:

1. To help you evaluate query results, what can you ask the person who requested the report?
2. What is the advantage of developing a query that involves only one to two record selection conditions?
3. What are other reliable sources of information in which you can compare the accuracy of your query results?
4. Name an activity you can participate in to continue to become familiar and knowlegeable about Univeristy data.
5. What is meant by the term "perform sanity checking?"

Activity 2 Answers

1. Ask the person requesting the report what results they expect to get. Or ask if the person can suggest another existing report that you can use to check to see if your results are at least in the ballpark.
2. You can look at how the results change as you add each condition thereby insuring that you are only getting the data that you want.
3. Other sources of information in which you can compare your query results include such items as BEN Financials screens or reports.
4. You can continue to become familiar with and knowledgeable about University data by participating in the data collection listservs.
5. The term means to check your query results by simply asking yourself if the information you have obtained is a reasonable answer.