Data Governance SoftwareWhat is Data Governance Software? It's any software solution that solves a Data Governance problem. But what problem is that? There are many - some you may find applicable to your situation, and some you may not.
And so, you may find that some tool providers who have labeled their products Data Governance Software are providing solutions that will address your specific needs. On the other hand, other Data Governance tools may solve problems that you don't care about at all, and, many products address areas that concern Data Governance efforts do not market themselves as governance tools. It can be confusing, to say the least.
If you're planning to conduct a software evaluation effort for Data Governance tools, it's important that you understand the different categories of software applications that could be considered Data Governance solutions.
Data Governance Programs may often call for:
- Data Quality software
- Policy, Standards and/or Rules Management solutions
- Data Privacy and/or Security solutions
- Products that support regulatory, legal, or contractual compliance
- Products that help monitor data usage, provide audit trails, or support audit or forensic activities
- Metadata Solutions
- Master Data Management solutions
- ETL or Data Integration products
- Enterprise Data Management software
- Customer Data Management solutions
- Information Lifecycle and Data Storage solutions
- Products to manage Data Governance and Stewardship program information
- Communication and collaboration tools
- and others
As soon as you realized you had a problem, you probably started looking for a tool to help you solve that problem. Many organizations decide to put off implementing software solutions, however, until they have identified their program's Focus Areas, have developed the program's Value Statement, have prepared a program Roadmap, and are in the Planning and Funding phase of the Data Governance Program Lifecycle (For more information on these processes, download the free DGI Data Governance Framework.)
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