The Data Cake Of Broken Dreams

Client: "Our data is very organized and clean!"

Developer: *receives a pile of crumbled chocolate cupcakes with random file formats scattered around*

The expectation vs. reality gap in data handoffs is the tech world's greatest practical joke. Clients envision their data as this adorable, well-groomed dog cake with perfect frosting roses, while developers get what looks like someone dropped the cake in a parking lot and then tried to fix it with a spatula and blind optimism. And of course, they've sprinkled in some Excel, XML, TXT, and PDF files because why use one consistent format when you can use four incompatible ones? Nothing says "professional data management" like a digital version of a dessert crime scene.