Data governance is “a system of decision rights and accountabilities for information-related processes, executed according to agreed-upon models which describe who can take what actions, with what information, and when, under what circumstances, using what methods.” (Resource: Definitions of Data Governance, The Data Governance Institute)
Data governance is not governing data. It’s governing the people who deal with data. With effective data governance, the data through out the company is consistent, accurate and so trustworthy.
Here is the Data Governance Strategy cited from Microsoft:
- Empowering users throughout the organization to use data and make decisions, within the defined boundaries.Improving the user experience by providing clear and transparent guidance (with minimal friction) on what actions are permitted, why, and how.
- Ensuring that the data usage is appropriate for the needs of the business.
- Ensuring that content ownership and stewardship responsibilities are clear. For more information, see the Content ownership and management article.
- Enhancing the consistency and standardization of working with data across organizational boundaries.
- Reducing risk of data leakage and misuse of data. For more information, see the information protection and data loss prevention series of articles article.
- Meeting regulatory, industry, and internal requirements for the proper use of data.