When must we stop the data analysis with user data that lack entries (for the analyze) ?
Example:
I have a list in a csv file that holds (between others) three columns:
a. Date Start
b. Date End
c. Number of days (it can be a number of days - Monday-Saturday - or a number of Sundays
).
I created a method that count the number of rows between two entries and place this value into the correct Cell
Example
[code]Start Date: 1962-03-11
End Date: 1962-06-10
of Rows: // Is filled by the method[/code]
The list holds one Row for each entry to be tested (days of the week or Sundays).
The method scan the Rows (, Column) and if an End Date = current Date (date in the current Row), then the number of found Rows is set in the # of Rows Cell.
I noticed (in Row 9 !) that the program stop (I wrote it that way, it seems) if the end date is missing or incomplete or And, when I put a correct - but imaginary * -date, the program continue the computation and report the # of found days until another glitch in the original data is found.
This is (more or less) OK for me - as a developer - because the user have to provide a correct list of dates for the software to run correctly, BUT, as a user, it is a shame.
The question here is: When must we stop the data analysis with data that lack of correct entries ?
Nota: in my case (and I am quite certain that other users data can be in that case), the lack of correct data exists because I do not have these data !
For better understanding, imagine a list of historic facts:
Name of the fact: birth, death, battle, war, reign / presidential run, etc.
Date of the fact: start-end dates (birth-death / war start-end, etc.)
Span of the fact: number of years for example
etc.
In some cases, exacts dates either are unknow or only one on two is unknow, undefined, vague
Imagine a date fact list applied to the Bible (Torah). What is Moses (Moshe) [or David or ] birth / death dates (in a flow of well know birth-death for historical people dates) ?