Glossary

Data owner

Also called: data ownership

The role accountable for the definition, quality, use, integrity, security, lineage and evolution of a critical entity.

The role accountable for the definition, quality, use, integrity, security, lineage and evolution of a critical entity. It coordinates with the process owner, because no critical data can be governed without knowing the processes that create or modify it.

It must be a business role, not an IT one. Whoever is accountable for the meaning and quality of "customer" is whoever uses the concept to decide; IT is accountable for its custody, which is a different thing.

Related terms

Data as a business asset

The view of data as a resource that enables operating, deciding, controlling, measuring and learning, and which therefore demands its own policies, roles and management standards, like any…

Data quality

The degree to which data are accurate, complete, consistent, timely, valid and unique.

Master data

Shared reference entities consumed by multiple processes and systems, such as customer, supplier or product.

Metadata

Data describing other data: their meaning, origin, format, value domain, owner and usage.

Role governance

The assignment of permissions and accountabilities by institutional function rather than by individual, so the solution does not depend on specific people.