Preparing data through cleaning and preprocessing is a critical foundation for any successful data science or machine learning project. Raw data often contains errors, missing values, and inconsistencies that can mislead analysis and model outcomes. By carefully addressing these issues—such as correcting anomalies, handling null values, and standardizing formats—you ensure the data is both accurate and reliable. These processes apply to both structured and unstructured datasets and directly influence model performance and insights. Key steps like encoding, normalization, and feature scaling make the data model-ready. Mastering this stage enables data professionals to unlock valuable, actionable intelligence with confidence.