I have a post on building up a data set for my forensic accounting series:
This is where stuff gets crazy. First, I created a table named
#ValuePerCategory, which has the mean price and the price standard deviation for each expense category. To get this information, I trawled through the catalog and picked reasonable-enough values for each of the categories. This is my level of commitment to getting things right(ish). The standard deviations, though, I just made up. I didn’t look at huge numbers of products and calculate these values myself. That’s the limit of my commitment to excellence and why I don’t have a giant banner on my stadium.
It’s also why John Madden never coached me.