AM7: Successful Reference Data Governance and Management

Reference data – often simply known as codes, lookups, or domains – is an area of enterprise data management that is becoming increasingly important. The realization that it contains as much semantics, if not more, as information and data models, combined with the need to govern it to deal with problems of quality and integration, are causing enterprises to devote more resources to reference data.

This tutorial describes how a reference data governance and management can be implemented in an enterprise. A set of specialized, centralized functions are established within a more general federated governance model. In this way both external reference data (generated by authorities outside the enterprise) and internal reference data (generated within the enterprise) can be successfully governed and managed. Emphasis is placed on being able to deal with the semantics, distribution needs, architectural implications, data quality controls, assignment of accountabilities, and communications.

Attendees will learn:

What reference data is, how it differs from other classes of data in its governance and management needs, and how to justify resources being allocated to govern and manage it
The structure and major functions of a centralized reference data unit
How to deal with common governance and management challenges for reference data

Malcolm Chisholm has over 25 years of experience in data management and has worked in a variety of sectors including finance, insurance, manufacturing, government, defense and intelligence, pharmaceuticals, and retail. He is Chief innovation Officer with First San Francisco Partners where he specializes in data governance, master data management, metadata engineering, business rules management/execution, data architecture and design, and the organization of Enterprise Information Management.

Malcolm is a well-known presenter at conferences in the US and Europe, writes columns in trade journals, and has authored the books "Managing Reference Data in Enterprise Databases," "How to Build a Business Rules Engine," and "Definitions in Information Management." He holds an M.A. from the University of Oxford and a Ph.D. from the University of Bristol and can be contacted at malcolm@firstsanfranciscopartners.com.