Data Framed Podcast: Data Governance and Quality

Introduction

• Host: Adele, Data Science Educator at DataCamp
• Guest: Laurent Tess, Data Governance Evangelist and Director at Data Galaxy
• Focus: Importance of data governance in building a data culture
• Themes: Trust, data quality, data governance, bridging gaps between teams

Laurent Tess's Background

• 20 years in data governance and management
• Experience in Master Data Management and global consulting
• Role at Data Galaxy: Setting up Professional Services and acting as a data governance evangelist
• Personal: Lives in Belgium, passionate about food, shares data governance insights on LinkedIn

State of Data Governance

• Historically managed by IT, often siloed
• Shift towards recognizing data as an important asset
• Rise of data self-service and API usage
• Data catalogs create a common language, essential for communication
• Data as a competitive advantage (e.g., Amazon, Uber)

Challenges in Data Governance

• Traceability: Complex data paths and transformations
• Source of Error: Identifying where issues originate
• Data Stewardship: Knowing who to contact for data issues
• Data Context: Knowing the impact of data quality issues based on context

Ownership of Data Governance

• One Data Owner: Only one owner in the value chain
• Importance of drawing the data value chain
• Responsibility shared by business and IT
• Profiles: CDOs or Heads of Data Governance play key roles

Components of a Successful Data Governance Strategy

• Vision and strategy at the executive level
• CDO as a bridge between strategy and implementation
• Focus on resolving daily business pains
• Data governance by design: Iterative, not big bang
• Importance of communication and change management

Evangelizing Data Governance

• Trust and understanding among stakeholders
• Educating on the value of data governance
• Using consultancies to help stakeholders understand importance
• Focusing on soft skills and embedding data into culture

Trends and Evolution

• Rise of data mesh architectures
• Importance of modern data stack and observability
• Data catalog as a foundation for data governance

Key Tools for Data Governance

• Modern data stack: Data lakes, warehouses
• Data observability and quality tools
• Data visualization and business intelligence
• Data catalog: Central hub for data information

Data Galaxy's Role

• Acts as a "data knowledge workplace"
• Business-driven, integrates easily with existing tools
• Success story: Major French insurance company improved traceability and ownership

Trends in 2023

• Data Democracy: Improved decision making
• Collaboration and Transparency: Sharing data across departments
• Customer Service: Leveraging data for competitive advantage

Conclusion

• Start data governance initiatives early, even with basic tools
• Draft a data vision and strategy
• Communication and business engagement are key
• Encourage the audience to connect with Laurent on LinkedIn for ongoing insights