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Generating Sketchy Data

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.