Data Management

Overview

Data management is the process of ingesting, storing, organizing and maintaining the data created and collected by an organization. Effective data management is a crucial piece of deploying the IT systems that run business applications and provide analytical information to help drive operational decision-making and strategic planning by corporate executives, business managers and other end users.

Importance of Data Management

The main objective of data management is to help people, organizations, and connected things optimize the use of data within the bounds of policy and regulation so that they can make decisions and take actions that maximize the benefit to the organization. A robust data management strategy is becoming more important than ever as organizations increasingly rely on intangible assets to create value.

Data Management Process

Data management process involves a wide array of different activities. These activities include data architecture, data modeling, data warehousing, database administration, data security, data integration, data governance, and data storage. Each of these activities is a critical component of an organization's overall data management strategy.

Data Architecture

Data architecture involves the design and structure of data in systems and databases. It is a broad term that refers to all of the processes and methodologies that address data at rest, data in motion, data sets and how these relate to data dependent processes and applications.

Data Modeling

Data modeling is the process of creating a data model for the data to be stored in a database. This data model is a conceptual representation of Data objects, the associations between different data objects and the rules. Data modeling helps in the visual representation of data and enforces business rules, regulatory compliances, and government policies on the data.

Data Warehousing

Data warehousing is the process of constructing and using a data warehouse. A data warehouse is constructed by integrating data from multiple heterogeneous sources that support analytical reporting, structured and/or ad hoc queries, and decision making.

Database Administration

Database administration is the function of managing and maintaining database management systems (DBMS) software. Mainstream DBMS software such as Oracle, IBM DB2 and Microsoft SQL Server need ongoing management. As such, corporations that use DBMS software often hire specialized IT personnel called Database Administrators or DBAs.

Data Security

Data security is the process of protecting data from unauthorized access and data corruption throughout its lifecycle. Data security includes data encryption, hashing, tokenization, and key management practices that protect data across all applications and platforms.

Data Integration

Data integration involves combining data residing in different sources and providing users with a unified view of them. This process becomes significant in a variety of situations, which include both commercial (when two similar companies need to merge their databases) and scientific (combining research results from different bioinformatics repositories, for example) domains.

Data Governance

Data governance refers to the overall management of the availability, usability, integrity, and security of the data employed in an enterprise. A sound data governance program includes a governing body or council, a defined set of procedures, and a plan to execute those procedures.

Data Storage

Data storage is the recording (storing) of information (data) in a storage medium. DNA and RNA, handwriting, phonographic recording, magnetic tape, and optical discs are all examples of storage media.

Data Management Best Practices

There are several best practices that organizations can follow to ensure that their data management processes are effective. These include establishing clear policies and procedures, implementing robust data governance practices, ensuring data quality, and investing in appropriate data management tools and technologies.