{
  "id": "dwd_2xjo4xi3",
  "type": "term",
  "slug": "data-profiling",
  "title": "Data profiling",
  "summary": "Measuring what data actually looks like: counts, ranges, nulls, distinct values and patterns.",
  "status": "draft",
  "classification": "public",
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Shan Umasankar",
      "url": "https://dealwithdata.com",
      "role": "author"
    }
  ],
  "assisted_by": [
    "Claude"
  ],
  "scales": [
    "personal",
    "business",
    "enterprise"
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    "profiling"
  ],
  "related": [
    "dwd_wg5zzqg2"
  ],
  "created": "2026-10-07",
  "updated": "2026-10-07",
  "version": 1,
  "url": "https://dealwithdata.com/glossary/data-profiling/",
  "markdown_url": "https://dealwithdata.com/glossary/data-profiling.md",
  "body_markdown": "Profiling describes data as it *is*: row counts, minimums and maximums, null rates, distinct values and value patterns. It is the evidence base for [[data-quality]] rules and a strong input for AI that suggests business meaning.\n\n**Example:** `OUTSTANDING_BAL_AMT`: 12M rows, min 0, max 4.2M, 0.3% null.\n\n**Not to be confused with** [[data-quality]], which checks data against what it *should* be.\n"
}