The Need for Data Governance: A Case Study

Data governance is an emerging trend in enterprise information management. This paper explores the relationship between IT Governance and Data Governance. Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliance requires accurate financial data and to achieve this IT controls are designed to ensure that data is correct and protected from unauthorised change. Data quality is measured by its accuracy, timeliness, relevance, completeness, trustworthiness and contextual definition. Good data quality requires effective data management. The research looks at the need for Data Governance to manage data effectively. This study examines a large organisation that has adopted an ad-hoc Data Governance model to manage its data. It was found that its data management efforts were hampered mainly by the lack of clear roles and responsibilities and the lack of mandate to carry out data quality improvement initiatives. In order to promote effective data management, this research identifies a Data Governance Structure and Framework with the emphasis on collaboration between business and IT to support organisations