Data products are understandably in focus as they empower business users and customers to quickly and easily solve specific problems using the power of data.

These reusable assets, carefully curated and processed datasets and insights, hold immense potential for driving insights, innovation, and differentiation.

However, ensuring the integrity of these data products is crucial for their successful utilization. This is where data product governance comes into play.

1. What is a Data Product?
2. Data Product Governance: Fundamental to Curation
3. Benefits of Data Product Governance:
4. Data Product Governance vs. Traditional Data Governance:
5. Conclusion

What is a Data Product?

Before delving into data product governance, let’s agree what a data product actually is. In contrast to raw data, a data product is a curated, immediately useful asset designed for specific purposes within an organization.

It’s typically a collection of data, along with the necessary code for consumption, metadata describing its characteristics, and a useful interface for consumption. Think of it as the refined version of raw data, carefully processed and packaged to deliver specific value to its users.

Data Product Governance: Fundamental to Curation

Data product governance plays a fundamental role in the curation process of data products. It refers to the comprehensive process of managing and governing the data used in data products.

It encompasses a range of activities, from establishing data quality standards and access controls to implementing data security measures and monitoring data usage.

This ensures that the data within these products is:

• Trusted: Data quality standards are established and maintained, ensuring the data is reliable and free from errors.
• Secure and protected: Data security measures are implemented to safeguard sensitive information from unauthorized access and potential breaches.
• Compliant with regulations: Data privacy standards and relevant regulations are adhered to, ensuring responsible data handling and user trust.
• Accessible and usable: Data access controls and user permissions are defined, allowing authorized users to easily access and utilize the data product.

Benefits of Data Product Governance:

Implementing data product governance offers a multitude of benefits for organizations, including:

• Improved data quality: Ensures data products are accurate, consistent, and free from errors.
• Enhanced data security: Protects sensitive data from unauthorized access and potential breaches.
• Increased trust and transparency: Builds trust in data products and fosters transparency in their use.
• More efficient data discovery and utilization: Enables easier access and utilization of data products for various business needs.
• Better decision-making: Provides reliable data for informed decision-making across the organization.
• Reduced risk of data-related issues: Mitigates the risk of data breaches, compliance violations, and other data-related challenges.

Data Product Governance vs. Traditional Data Governance:

Ultimately, while we lean towards a lean data governance approach with the intention to both enable innovation and manage risk, many organisations implement rigid data governance structures with a focus on control.

A data product focus means that data governance must be an enabler, differentiating it from traditional structures in a number of ways:

Conclusion

By implementing robust data product governance, organizations can ensure the integrity and value of their data products. This ultimately fosters trust in the data, promotes transparency in its use, and empowers users to make informed decisions based on reliable information.