Enhancing existing data by adding related information from internal or external sources.
Data enrichment adds context and value to a dataset without changing its core records. Common enrichment steps include appending geographic coordinates to addresses, adding demographic information to customer records, or linking a dataset to a reference classification system.
Example: A dataset of business licences contains only street addresses. Enrichment adds latitude and longitude coordinates by geocoding each address, making the dataset mappable and enabling spatial analysis.
Enrichment improves the usefulness of data for analysis, visualization, and decision-making. It is important to document the source of enriched fields so users understand what was added and how.