The problem, principles and planning
In this section, we will explore why an EDA might be required and discuss the important considerations for creating one.
Understanding the EDA problem
A difficult question that precedes an EDA project is: Can you give me an estimate and breakdown of your proposed EDA costs, please?
How we answer this question ultimately shapes our EDA strategy and tactics. In days gone by, the answer to this question typically started like this: Basically you pay by the column.... This rule of thumb is based on the premise that there is an iterable unit of data exploration work, and these units of work drive the estimate of effort and thus the rough price of performing the EDA.
What's interesting about this idea is that the units of work are quoted in terms of the data structures to investigate rather than functions that need writing. The reason for this is simple. Data processing pipelines of functions are assumed to exist already, rather than being new work, and so the...
