Data Governance

TL;DR

Establishes and enforces policies and procedures for how an organization acquires, stores, uses, and disposes of data.
Ensures data is available, usable, accurate, and secure for authorized personnel.
Common mechanisms include cross-department governance councils and data quality controls.

Definition

Data governance is the overall management of the availability, usability, integrity, and security of data used in an organization. It involves establishing and enforcing policies and procedures for acquiring, storing, using, and disposing of data.

Explanation

Data governance organizes how an organization handles its data by defining rules and processes that govern data lifecycle activities (acquisition, storage, use, and disposal). Those rules are enforced to maintain data availability, usability, integrity, and security, so that authorized personnel can rely on accurate and appropriately protected data. Typical governance activities include forming bodies to develop and enforce policies and implementing controls that ensure data quality and compliance with those policies.

Examples

Data governance council

A data governance council is typically composed of representatives from different departments within an organization, such as IT, finance, and marketing. The council is responsible for developing policies and procedures for managing data and enforcing compliance with these policies. For example, the council may develop a policy on how to handle sensitive customer information, such as ensuring that it is encrypted and only accessible to authorized personnel.

Data quality controls

Data quality controls ensure that the data being used by the organization is accurate and reliable. For example, the data governance council may develop a process for regularly checking the accuracy of customer data, such as verifying contact information and identifying duplicates. These controls help prevent errors and improve the overall quality of the data.

Use cases

Improve the quality of organizational data.
Better protect sensitive information.
Help organizations make better business decisions.
Improve overall efficiency and effectiveness.

Data governance council
Data quality controls