One company I worked with we use to import data from other systems into our project management system for clients to help them get set up.
This was the 2000s so it was all scripts (SQL scripts and vbscripts I seem to remember). As part of it, we ended up cleaning the customer data from a myriad of bugs. Inconsistent capitalization, leading and trailing spaces, and this. Weird characters you didn't even know exists.
Over time more and more of these hidden characters were added to the script, because back then it wasn't a case of googling it or asking on SO.
I have a friend who works as a data analyst for a local council. He hates the school reports season as the data from the schools comes in with all sorts of weird problems in consistency.
This was the 2000s so it was all scripts (SQL scripts and vbscripts I seem to remember). As part of it, we ended up cleaning the customer data from a myriad of bugs. Inconsistent capitalization, leading and trailing spaces, and this. Weird characters you didn't even know exists.
Over time more and more of these hidden characters were added to the script, because back then it wasn't a case of googling it or asking on SO.
I have a friend who works as a data analyst for a local council. He hates the school reports season as the data from the schools comes in with all sorts of weird problems in consistency.