Enhancing Decision Making with Process Metadata: Theoretical Framework, Research Tool, and Exploratory Examination

The quality of the data used in a decision task has important implications for the decision outcome. Recent research suggests that data quality perception is context-dependent. This study examines process metadata, which describes how a particular data set was created and delivered, as a supporting aid for contextual quality assessment. We first develop a model for understanding the effects of process metadata on the decision outcome when it is provided together with intrinsic quality measurements. We then describe a research tool developed to assess the effect of process metadata. An exploratory test using this tool suggests that both data quality perceptions and the associated process metadata have beneficial effects on outcomes, when mediated by decision process efficiency. The model developed in this study and the preliminary empirical results highlight the value of embedding quality metadata within computer-supported decision environments.