What Is Data Governance Software?

For many businesses, data is a key component of many different processes, from strategic planning to analytics. Data must be accurate, timely, and trustworthy to be useful; otherwise, a business risks making decisions based on low-value, inaccurate information. One way to ensure data collection, storage, and management occur correctly is through the implementation of data governance. Data governance is a data management framework that defines policies and procedures to ensure data remains available, secure, and high-quality.

To achieve the successful implementation of data governance frameworks, many businesses choose to use data governance software. Read on to learn more about data governance software, how it supports a data governance framework, and what types of data governance tools exist.

Types of data governance software

Data governance software helps facilitate the implementation of a data governance framework. These are different from data governance platforms, which are primarily used by business roles to enforce and monitor specific policies. Data governance software often handles one discrete task at a time.

Data quality management

Data quality management is the process of ensuring that the collected data is useful for a company’s specific goals. Data professionals examine data for consistency, completeness, accuracy, relevance, timeliness, and validity. Data quality is extremely important for informed decision-making. Its quality directly impacts how effective any strategies derived from it are.

Some data quality management software include:

• Oracle Enterprise Data Quality: Facilitates understanding and improvement of data quality

• SAP Master Data Governance: Consolidates data and assesses it with built-in quality management modules

• Snowflake Horizon: Audits and monitors data quality

Data security and privacy management

Data security and privacy management help to ensure that only authorized users can access specific types of data, as well as protect against total loss in the case of a catastrophic event. This type of software is particularly important for businesses that choose to host their data in the cloud, which can expose that data to hacking attempts.

Some data security and privacy management software include:

• NAKIVO Backup and Replication: Performs incremental backups, which help protect against total data loss in the face of a cyberattack

• Apache Ranger: Integrates with Apache Atlas to mask data and control user access

• OneTrust Data Governance: Created by a security company, includes both risk management and data privacy tools

Metadata management

Metadata management is the process of describing data sets in a way that gives them meaning. Accurate metadata makes a data set more findable and usable. Metadata includes a wide range of contextual information, including what the data contains, when it was created, who created it, and more.

Some metadata management software includes:

• Informatica: A trusted brand that features automated classification and metadata management as core features

• IBM Cloud Pak for Data: Includes metadata enrichment and the ability to connect all data sets from different sources into one usable interface

• Oracle Enterprise Metadata Management: Allows you to harvest, govern, and catalog metadata from other Oracle platforms and third-party systems

Master data management

Master data management involves a specific type of data, master data, which is the most duplicated and commonly used data by an organization. It tends to describe core operational functions, which means that its accuracy is fundamental to successful business processes. Master data management software helps to ensure that this data remains accurate, consistent, and reliable.

Some master data management software includes:

• PiLog MDRM: Helps automate all master metadata processes in a way that ensures accuracy and consistency

• Informatica Intelligent Master Data Management Platform: Provides multi-domain MDM capabilities in a cloud-based platform

• Semarchy xDM: Unifies data using AI to create a single source of truth

Data compliance

Data compliance is a crucial aspect of any successful data governance framework because compliance guidelines are set by regulatory bodies within the federal government. Noncompliance is expensive due to fines and can erode customer trust alongside your business’s reputation.

Some data compliance software includes:

• Microsoft Purview: Supports compliance by providing comprehensive visibility of data sets across different platforms

• Collibra Data Governance: Has a policy manager feature that centralizes compliance policies, implements them, and monitors them for adoption

• SAS Information Governance: Allows users to tag sensitive information for better compliance

What does data governance software do, and what is it used for?

Data governance software helps support a business in creating and implementing a data governance framework. How? By providing the tools needed to manage said data from its creation to its disposal. They help automate the processes required to ensure that data stays accurate, reliable, and safe to use.

Who uses data governance software?

Every business or organization that collects data for use needs a data governance framework, which typically requires data governance software. Professionals who handle data in their daily roles—such as compliance officers, managers, and marketers—all interact with this software in some capacity. However, some roles do exist that work with data governance software specifically as part of running the framework itself. These roles include:

Data managers and analysts

Data managers and analysts are professionals who work with data throughout its lifecycle to extract actionable insights. These insights, in turn, help improve a business’s processes and reach its goals. Data governance analysts specifically oversee databases and workflows through the lens of data governance framework functionality and compliance.

IT and security teams

IT and security teams are professionals who use programs and software to keep an organization’s networks safe from cyberattacks or other hacking attempts. They monitor for safety issues and use different techniques, such as firewalls, to keep sensitive data safe.

Compliance officers

Compliance officers are legal professionals responsible for keeping an organization in compliance with state and federal laws. They use audits to ensure that businesses avoid any legal trouble or possible resulting lawsuits.

Pros and cons of using data governance software

The pros and cons of using data software include its efficacy and its costliness. Some of these different factors include:

Benefits

Data governance tools help businesses stay compliant and successfully implement a data governance program. These tools help to increase the integrity, security, and privacy of your business’s data while also increasing your business’s value. Data governance tools make it easier to improve data quality and manage data through integration from multiple sources.

Drawbacks

Some drawbacks of data governance tools include the fact that it can be difficult to get buy-in from the C-suite, particularly if the technology is expensive to purchase or implement. In addition, employees might be reluctant to incorporate a new process or tool into their daily tasks. Finally, learning data governance tools often requires extensive training as they are complex to work with.

How to get started in data governance

If you’re interested in working within data governance, the first step is to look into the different types of jobs that work with it. As listed above, you might consider compliance, cybersecurity, or analytics. One example is as a data governance analyst. You’ll typically need a four-year degree such as mathematics, computer science, or statistics. Focus on building necessary skills, such as statistical analysis or project management, through personal learning or hands-on opportunities.

Learn more about data governance tools on Coursera

Data governance tools are software that allows a data professional to implement and manage a data governance framework. Learn more about these tools with courses and certificates on Coursera. With options such as the University of Pennsylvania’s AI Strategy and Governance, you can learn about data governance foundations and have the chance to explore this exciting field.