Why do data analysts spend so much time preparing data? (and what can we do about it?)

Data analysts spend a majority of their time cleaning data, not generating insights. According to a Forbes study , 60% of their time is dedicated to cleaning data. And more recent testimonials suggest this number may have gone up since the time of publication. But why is this so important? That’s because insights are only as accurate as their underlying data. Bad data quality can mean reducing accuracy with fewer data points, or skewing results with outliers. This is why every year US organizati