Data regulations describe policies and laws ensuring that processed data is shared or governed appropriately, where the right data assets go to the right place at the right time. Data regulation falls under the umbrella of Data Governance. Advances in technology, such as cloud computing, allow individual’s or company’s data to be stored cheaply and […]
What Are Microservices?
Microservices are a flexible, single-purpose software program essentially compatible with any application. Think of them like individual pieces of furniture. Each article (e.g., a sofa, chair, or table) can stand apart and function. But the sum of things make-up the whole (e.g. a chair can surround a table for eating in a dining room or […]
What Is a Business Glossary?
A business glossary differs from a data dictionary in that its focal point, Data Governance, goes beyond a data warehouse or database. A business glossary is a means of sharing internal vocabulary within an organization. Most business glossaries share certain characteristics such as standard Data Definitions and documentation of them; Clear definitions with explanation of […]
What Is a Chief Data Officer (CDO)?
A Chief Data Officer (CDO) helps bridge the gap between technology and business. This person evangelizes an enterprise-wide Data Management strategy at a senior level. The CDO leads Data Management initiatives, enabling an organization to leverage its data assets and gain a competitive advantage from them. A CDO tends to be part business strategist, adviser, […]
What Is a Data Analyst?
Data analysts help businesses make better, more informed decisions by not only collecting and investigating data, but also translating the relevant information into useful observations for their customers, which can include technical staff, business teams, or leadership. In many organizations, data analyst and data scientist roles share similarities, but data analysts focus on speedily interpreting […]
What Is a Data Architect?
A data architect provides clear specifications, models, and definitions, translating a business’ Data Strategy into a Data Architecture and implementing this structure to align with an organization’s Data Governance. An architect is one who designs and advises on the construction of something. Data architects take an organization’s raw data and data assets and builds a […]
What Is a Data Catalog?
A data catalog centralizes access to all of an organization’s available data assets through a metadata inventory. This repository facilitates dataset search and retrieval so that users and systems can easily find the information needed for business. A data catalog differs from a data dictionary in its ability to search and retrieve information. Data catalogs “may […]
What Is a Data Container?
A data container is a transportation solution for a database required to run from one computer system to another. A data container is a data structure that “stores and organizes virtual objects (a virtual object is a self-contained entity that consists of both data and procedures to manipulate the data).” This is similar to the packaging of a […]
What Is a Data Democracy?
A data democracy describes a methodological framework of values and actions that benefit and minimize any harm to the public or the typical user. Organizations like Data for Democracy, initiated by Bloomberg and BrightHive, and projects like Data for Democracy, established by the University of Washington to help Myanmar transition to a data democracy, are spearheading […]
What Is a Data Dictionary?
A data dictionary is a description of data in business terms, also including information about the data such as data types, details of structure, and security restrictions. Unlike business glossaries, which focus on data across the organization, data dictionaries support data warehouses by defining how to use them. The content of the data dictionary often […]