What is a primary goal of effective data administration?

Ensuring data integrity and security is a primary goal of effective data administration because it focuses on maintaining the accuracy, consistency, and reliability of data throughout its lifecycle. This involves implementing policies and procedures that safeguard data from unauthorized access, corruption, and loss, which are critical for ensuring that data remains trustworthy and can be relied upon for decision-making processes.

Effective data administration encompasses various practices, including the establishment of data governance protocols, regular audits of data quality, and the use of encryption or other security measures to protect sensitive information. By prioritizing data integrity and security, organizations can build confidence in their data management systems, thereby fostering a culture of accountability and trust among users and stakeholders.

While other choices may play a role in the overall landscape of data management, they do not encapsulate the core objective of data administration as comprehensively as ensuring data integrity and security does. For example, maximizing hardware investment focuses more on cost efficiency rather than data quality, providing training for users enhances usability but does not directly impact the integrity of the data, and reducing software complexity can improve usability but does not inherently secure or validate the data itself.