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Data Is Risky Business: Scaling Data Governance to the National Stage
I recently started a doctorate. And because I obviously have too much free time after running my business, teaching, and writing columns for august publications like this, I’m looking at data governance. But not at the level of the organization. My doctoral research will be a deep dive into some oft-neglected human factors that need to […]


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Author: Daragh O Brien

The Data-Centric Revolution: Dealing with Data Complexity
There are many perennial issues with data: data quality, data access, data provenance, and data meaning. I will contend in this article that the central issue around which these others revolve is data complexity. It’s the complexity of data that creates and perpetuates these other problems. As we’ll see, it is a tractable problem that […]


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Author: Dave McComb

Eyes on Data: Understanding Data Products and Their Role in Data Marketplaces
In the rapidly evolving landscape of data management, the concept of data products has emerged as a cornerstone for effective data utilization and governance. Industry experts have shed light on the critical nature of data products, their distinction from data assets, and their pivotal role in data marketplaces. As organizations strive to maximize the value […]


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Author: EDM Council

Data Professional Introspective: The Data Management Education Program (Part 2)
In my work with the EDM Council’s Data Management Capability Assessment Model (DCAM) 3.0 development group, we are adding a capability that has remained under the radar in our industry, that is, the responsibility of the Data Management Program to determine concept and knowledge gaps within its staff resources. The organization should then plan, organize, […]


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Author: Melanie Mecca

The Book Look: AI Governance
Technics Publications has started publishing a line of Data-Driven AI books, and one of the first books in this series is “AI Governance” by Dr. Darryl J Carlton. The goal of the book in one sentence is to enable the reader to gain the knowledge and tools to effectively govern and oversee the use of […]


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Author: Steve Hoberman

Through the Looking Glass: Metaphors, MUNCH, and Large Language Models
“What’s a metaphor?”  Mr. Biergel posed the question one morning to my high school grammar class. Being typical teenagers, we looked at him with blank-eyed stares. We expected that if we waited long enough, he’d write a paragraph-long definition on the blackboard.  “What’s a metaphor?” he repeated.  “A place for cows to graze!”  We groaned. […]


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Author: Randall Gordon

The Art of Lean Governance: What We Can Learn from HAZMAT Professionals
The collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge on March 26, 2024, was a tragic loss of life and disruption to the shipping supply chain on a global scale that will take months, if not years, to fully recover. A major shipping artery in and out of the United States was severed, stranding ships on […]


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Author: Steve Zagoudis

Eyes on Data: Improving ESG Reporting with Established Industry Standards
In today’s rapidly evolving corporate landscape, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting has become a focal point for organizations aiming to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability and responsible business practices and comply with a growing roster of regulations. As companies navigate the complexities of ESG reporting, they increasingly seek guidance on how to effectively manage […]


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Author: EDM Council

Crossing the Data Divide: AI Data Assistants — A Data Leader’s Force Multiplier
The focus of my last column, titled Crossing the Data Divide: Data Catalogs and the Generative AI Wave, was on the impact of large language models (LLM) and generative artificial intelligence (AI) and how we disseminate knowledge throughout the enterprise and the future role of the data catalogs. Spoiler alert if you have not read […]


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Author: John Wills

Data Professional Introspective: The Data Management Education Program
In my work with the EDM Council’s Data Management Capability Assessment Model (DCAM) 3.0 development group, we are adding a capability that has remained under the radar in our industry: the responsibility of the Data Management Program to determine concept and knowledge gaps within its staff resources. The organization should then plan, organize, and make […]


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Author: Melanie Mecca

Data Is Risky Business: The Opportunity Exists Between Keyboard and Chair
I’m doing some research work for a thing (more on that thing later in the column). My research has had me diving through all the published academic research in the field of data governance (DG) that deals with critical success factors for sustainable (as in: “not falling over and sinking into a swamp with all […]


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Author: Daragh O Brien

Legal Issues for Data Professionals: AI Creates Hidden Data and IP Legal Problems
As data has catapulted to a new and valuable business asset class, and as AI is increasingly used in business operations, the use of AI has created hidden data and IP risks. These risks must be identified and then measures must be taken to protect against both a loss of rights and an infringement of […]


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Author: William A. Tanenbaum

The Art of Lean Governance: Addressing the Elephant in the Room
Hands down one of the most frequent observations when walking the data factory at different clients is the excessive use of spreadsheets for data collection and purification. These spreadsheets are part of a critical data enrichment process for getting reports out the door on time. However, these same spreadsheets represent a significant control problem exposing […]


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Author: Steve Zagoudis

The Book Look: Data Privacy Across Borders
I never realized how complex data privacy rules can be for multinational companies until I read “Data Privacy Across Borders” by Lambert Hogenhout and Amanda Wang. This book not only goes into detail on the privacy regulations from many countries, but it also covers the importance of a global data privacy strategy and the steps […]


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Author: Steve Hoberman

All in the Data: The Search for Intelligent Life in Your Organization
An invisible, yet universal, force exists that is shaping the very fabric of data-driven decision-making, data practices, and operational data management functionality. This force is “informal governance,” an astral influence orchestrating the celestial bodies of an organization. Acknowledging the existence of this informal governance marks the launch of a profound journey — a quest for […]


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Author: Robert S. Seiner

Data Professional Introspective: Demystifying Data Culture
The term “data culture” is frequently used to describe a normative view about how an organization functions (or more precisely, should function) with respect to its data. The term is not particularly well defined, and the notions held about this term can vary significantly. Many data management professionals think of an organization’s data culture as […]


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Author: Melanie Mecca

Legal Issues for Data Professionals: A New Data Licensing Model
Setting the Stage: Data as a Business Asset This column presents a new model for licensing and sharing data, one that I call the “Decision Rights Data Licensing Model” (or the “Decision Rights Model,” in a shorter form) and one that has been met with acceptance in commercial transactions. The Decision Rights Model addresses current business […]


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Author: William A. Tanenbaum

Data Is Risky Business: Turning Abstract Ethics into Practical Practices
This quarter’s column draws on my keynote for DAMA Calgary’s contribution to DAMA Days Canada last month, which in turn drew on some of the content in the second edition of the “Data Ethics” book I wrote with my colleague Katherine O’Keefe (particularly, Chapter 3 and Chapter 11). My keynote looked at the thorny question […]


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Author: Daragh O Brien

Through the Looking Glass: The Unique Identifier of the Rose
I recently taught an online class on BCBS 239: Effective Risk Data Aggregation and Reporting for Risk.net. Preparing the course materials took me back to 2007-2008, when I worked for Merrill Lynch managing the Credit Risk Reporting team. I recall how difficult it was for the banks to provide the aggregated risk data the regulators […]


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Author: Randall Gordon

Data Speaks for Itself: Data Love and Data Limerence
Now that “data” is finally having its day, data topics are blooming like jonquils in March. Data management, data governance, data literacy, data strategy, data analytics, data engineering, data mesh, data fabric, data literacy, and don’t forget data littering. In keeping with this theme, I’d like to propose a couple of new data topics not […]


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Author: Dr. John Talburt

Eyes on Data: The Right Foundation for Trusted Data and Analytics
Trust. Trust is defined as the assured reliance or belief on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something (Webster’s Dictionary). It’s a term we use often to describe how we feel about the people, the institutions, and the things around us. But I would argue that the term “trust” was used differently […]


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Author: EDM Council