Glossary
What is data governance?
Data governance is the set of agreements, roles and processes an organisation uses to safeguard the quality, security and proper use of data. Think of ownership of definitions, access policies and controls.
Data governance explained
Data governance answers questions such as: who owns the customer data, who decides how revenue is calculated, who may see which data and what do we do when a figure is wrong? Without answers, different versions of the truth emerge and responsibility becomes unclear.
A workable approach starts small. Assign an owner to the most important data and KPIs, record definitions, manage access through roles or profiles and make sure you can see afterwards who did what. Large programmes with lots of documentation nobody reads rarely work.
With the rise of AI, data governance has become more important. An AI application is only as good as the data and definitions it works on, and you want to know which data goes to which model. AI governance therefore builds on good data governance.
Example
Acme Groothandel makes the controller the owner of all financial KPI definitions and the commercial manager the owner of customer data. Anyone who wants a new definition submits it to them, and access to dashboards runs through fixed profiles.
Data governance in ENABLE
ENABLE supports data governance with access profiles, row-level security, an audit log and data sources that platform management must approve before they can be used in the Dashboard Builder (pilot). Agreements on ownership and definitions are something your organisation makes itself.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between data governance and AI governance?
Data governance is about the quality, security and proper use of data. AI governance is about using AI applications responsibly and builds on it, because AI is only as good as the data underneath.
Where do you start with data governance?
Start with the data and KPIs that are used most. Assign an owner per subject, record definitions and decide who may see which data.
What is a data owner?
A data owner is the person responsible for a particular set of data or definitions, such as customer data or financial KPIs. They decide on definitions, quality and access.
Further reading
- SolutionAI governance: control over data, AI and accessWho sees what, what the AI receives and who approves: practical AI and data governance.Read more
- SolutionSingle source of truth: one version of the truthOne central source for your business data, so every department sees the same figures.Read more
- PlatformPower BI row-level security and dashboard accessAccess profiles, Power BI row-level security, two-factor authentication and an audit log.Read more
- ResourcesAI Act and GDPR for AI on business dataIf you use AI on business data in the EU, two sets of rules apply: the AI Act, which sets requirements for AI systems based on their risk, and the GDPR, which applies as soon as personal data is processed. For most internal analytics applications, the focus is mainly on AI literacy, transparency and the GDPR basics: a lawful basis, a data processing agreement, data minimisation and, where necessary, a DPIA. This article is a practical orientation, not legal advice.Read more
Use AI on your own data. Securely, and without the headache.
In an online demo we show how ENABLE makes your data securely available and how you build on it: describing an app in the AI Builder, plain-language questions, dashboards and APIs. And how we set it up and manage it for you.