8Insurance Business ReviewAUGUST 2023DATA GOVERNANCE SYSTEMS UNDERGOING ONGOING EVOLUTIONThere's little debate in today's digital world that it is the internal management or governance of data that is the lifeblood of a successfully operating organization. Effective data governance systems allow different audiences to access updated, useful and trusted information in an efficient and secure manner that allows an organization's value to be fully realized. As data governance systems continue to evolve, it is important to consider some of the factors impacting the data space on a daily basis. Some examples include organizations moving away from formal enterprise data warehouse (EDW) systems to an environment of data lakes. The former (which still likely exists) allows for processes and structure for adding data as well as the process of extracting that data. Organizations with strong data governance practices around an EDW often have information defined and approved through a data steward process. Such processes may also include standards for reporting as well as subject matter experts actively mapping reference data in accordance with a data governance process.Another item impacting the data space is the growth and expansion of traditional business intelligence into areas including machine learning and artificial intelligence. In organizations that I have been part of, the data governance practice has resided on the business side, usually in a "neutral" department that is not reliant on heavy data for daily functions. The starting point in each of these organizations was implementing a business glossary process, which involved determining how to organize names, definitions, etc., as well as determining an enterprise approval process. There may also be a need to define a process for incorporating valid values within the data governance system. After this key starting point, various options can be explored around data quality, data lineage, balancing, and standards for business intelligence among other elements.At West Bend Mutual Insurance there are two principles that guide the data governance process: a common language and a common user experience. The team that works on this process is an enterprise group that supports the enterprise for both business intelligence and data governance. Resources are aligned to a functional area, including the IT team supporting that area. This enables the data governance associate to provide value through business intelligence support while at the same time supporting the data governance principles as processes, such as identifying new business terms to be added to the business glossary.The other alignment is to a functional area. Quite often this functional department alignment matches the IT team alignment. In the alignment to the functional area, they are providing business intelligence support typically to power By Paul Pries, Director ­ Data Governance, West Bend Mutual Insurance CompanyPaul PriesIN MY OPINION
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