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A professional-level summary covering key definitions, frameworks, and exam-relevant points.
Data Governance: Professional Framework and CDMP Perspective
Data governance is defined by DAMA International as the exercise of authority, control, and shared decision-making over the management of data assets. It is the highest-weighted knowledge area in the CDMP exam, accounting for approximately 11% of all questions, reflecting its foundational importance to the entire data management discipline.
Core Components
| Component | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Policies | Formal rules governing data handling | Data retention policy: 7 years for financial records |
| Standards | Specifications defining acceptable data formats and quality | Date format: ISO 8601 (YYYY-MM-DD) |
| Roles | Defined accountabilities for data management | Data Owner, Data Steward, Data Custodian |
| Processes | Procedures for executing governance activities | Data issue escalation and resolution workflow |
| Business Glossary | Authoritative definitions of business terms | Agreed definition of "active customer" |
Key Roles in Data Governance
The Data Owner is a senior business stakeholder accountable for a data domain's fitness for purpose. The Data Steward is responsible for day-to-day data quality and policy compliance within a domain. The Data Custodian is the technical role responsible for the physical storage, security, and accessibility of data. The Data Governance Council is the cross-functional body that sets enterprise-wide governance strategy and resolves escalated issues.
Data Governance vs Data Management
Data governance provides the authority, policies, and decision-making framework. Data management encompasses the operational execution of those policies across all data lifecycle activities. Governance is the "what and why"; management is the "how". This distinction is frequently tested in the CDMP exam.
CDMP Exam Focus Areas
Key concepts tested include: the definition and scope of data governance, the distinction between data governance and data management, the roles and responsibilities within a governance structure, the components of a data governance framework, and the relationship between data governance and regulatory compliance (GDPR, BCBS 239, Sarbanes-Oxley).