ISO 8000: Data Quality

ISO 8000 is the international standard series for data quality and master data, developed by ISO Technical Committee 184 (Industrial Automation Systems and Integration), Subcommittee 4. Parts 1, 2, and 8 are designated ISO horizontal deliverables, meaning they apply across all sectors and industries. The series defines what constitutes quality data, specifies requirements that can be verified by computer systems, and provides a framework for exchanging high-quality data between organizations.

Where ISO/IEC 25012 defines which data quality characteristics exist (accuracy, completeness, consistency, etc.), ISO 8000 defines how to verify and exchange data that meets those characteristics — making the two standards complementary.

The Three Quality Dimensions (ISO 8000-8:2015)

ISO 8000-8 (Information and data quality: Concepts and measuring) is the foundational requirements part of the series. It defines three measurable quality dimensions that apply to any data regardless of domain:

Dimension Definition Verification method
Syntactic quality The degree to which data conforms to its specified syntax (format, encoding, structure) Automated verification against a declared syntax specification
Semantic quality The degree to which data correctly encodes its intended meaning, using explicitly defined metadata or references to an open technical dictionary Automated verification against a semantic reference
Pragmatic quality The degree to which data is fit for the purpose of its intended users Validation by user groups, surveys, or feedback mechanisms

ISO 8000-8 is a normative requirements standard (it uses “shall”) and can serve directly as audit criteria.

Series Structure

The ISO 8000 series is organized into numbered groups, each addressing a distinct data domain:

General Data Quality (Parts 1–99)

Part Title Published
ISO 8000-1 Overview 2022
ISO 8000-2 Vocabulary 2020
ISO 8000-8 Information and data quality: Concepts and measuring 2015
ISO 8000-64 Data quality management: Process maturity assessment 2022

Master Data Quality (Parts 100–199)

Part Title Published
ISO 8000-100 Master data: Overview 2016
ISO 8000-110 Master data: Exchange of characteristic data (syntax, semantic encoding, conformance) 2021
ISO 8000-114 Application of ISO/IEC 21778 and ISO 8000-115 to portable data 2024
ISO 8000-115 Quality identifier prefixes 2024 (2nd ed.)
ISO 8000-150 Data quality management: Roles and responsibilities 2022

Specialised Data Types (Parts 200+)

Part Title Published
ISO 8000-210 Sensor data: Data quality characteristics 2024

Key Concepts

Portable data: ISO 8000 emphasizes that data must remain interpretable independently of the application that created it. Data carries its own quality evidence, allowing any conformant system to verify it without proprietary tooling.

Quality identifiers: ISO 8000-115 defines a scheme for encoding data quality claims directly within data messages, enabling automated quality verification at the point of exchange.

Provenance: ISO 8000 requires that data carries information about its origin and history of transformation, making quality claims auditable and traceable.

Master data quality manager (MDQM): Practitioners can demonstrate competence in ISO 8000 through ECCMA-administered certification.

Relationship to Other Standards

Standard Relationship
ISO/IEC 25012 (via ISO/IEC 25024) ISO 25012 defines data quality characteristics; ISO 8000 provides the verification and exchange requirements to achieve them. The two are designed to be used together.
ISO/IEC 25024 Defines measurement methods for ISO 25012 characteristics; ISO 8000-8 provides the conceptual framework (syntactic/semantic/pragmatic) that underpins those measurements.
ISO 22745 Companion standard defining how data requirement statements are constructed for use in ISO 8000-compliant master data exchanges.

Quality Attributes Addressed

Quality Attribute Relevance in ISO 8000
Data Quality Central subject of the entire series; ISO 8000 provides the normative framework for defining, measuring, and exchanging quality data.
Accuracy Addressed through semantic quality requirements (ISO 8000-8) and the master data exchange framework; the data must correctly encode real-world values against a defined reference.
Completeness Required as part of syntactic and semantic conformance; incomplete data that omits mandatory attributes fails ISO 8000-8 verification.
Consistency ISO 8000-110 requires that exchanged master data is internally consistent and conforms to a declared data specification across all messages.
Correctness Syntactic and semantic quality checks (ISO 8000-8) provide a computable definition of correctness applicable to any data domain.
Traceability Provenance requirements across the series mandate that data carries a verifiable history of its origin and transformations.
Data Integrity Portable data requirements and quality identifier schemes ensure data cannot be silently altered without invalidating its quality claims.

References