Data Governance Primer

Most IT organizations manage a wide and varied data estate, that is, a collection of data sources ranging from files to relational and NoSQL databases supporting a range of applications and use cases. In particular, data sources such as transactional systems, enterprise resource planning (ERP), and customer relationship management (CRM) can be considered mission-critical, as the data may be used for billing, financial reporting, maintaining high-quality customer relationships, and legal and regulatory compliance functions. As such the quality, timeliness, and integrity of these data sources is critically important.

Data governance processes and tools aim to ensure that such data is used consistently, that its evolution and change are carefully managed, and that it is handled in accordance with enterprise goals and policies, as well as regulations and standards. Enterprise data management teams typically pursue goals such as compliance coverage and data quality. The Enterprise Data Management Council, Data Governance Institute, and Data Management Association are three industry organizations focused on this topic.