Data Governance - what is it?

image source : http://www.datagovernance.com/ - download the framework from http://www.datagovernance.com/dgi_framework.pdf or http://www.datagovernance.com/11x17_DGI_framework_poster_color.pdf

Data governance is not fully defined and should be seen as an emerging discipline with an evolving definition. The discipline embodies a convergence of data quality, data management, data policies, business process management, and risk management surrounding the handling of data in an organization. Through data governance, organizations are looking to exercise positive control over the processes and methods used by their data stewards and data custodians to handle data.

Data governance is at best a set of processes that ensures that important data assets are formally managed throughout the enterprise, ensures that data can be trusted and that people can be made accountable for any adverse event that happens because of low data quality. It is all about putting people in charge of fixing and preventing issues with data so that the enterprise can become more efficient.