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What is Data Stewardship?
Data Stewardship refers to the operational role and responsibility of managing data assets to ensure they are accurate, secure, high-quality, and properly governed throughout their lifecycle.
Definition
Data Stewardship is the practice of overseeing and managing an organization’s data on a day-to-day basis, ensuring compliance with governance policies, maintaining data quality, and supporting reliable access and usage across teams.
Key Takeaways
- Ensures high-quality, well-governed data.
- Data stewards act as custodians of business-critical datasets.
- Bridges business and technical teams for consistent data management.
- Supports compliance, standards, and organizational data policies.
Understanding Data Stewardship
Data Stewards are responsible for the hands-on execution of data governance. They ensure that data rules, definitions, and quality standards are followed consistently.
Core responsibilities of data stewards include:
- Defining and maintaining business metadata.
- Monitoring and resolving data quality issues.
- Managing data access and usage guidelines.
- Ensuring compliance with laws and internal policies.
- Documenting data lineage, catalog entries, and standard definitions.
Stewardship roles exist across domains such as finance, HR, customer operations, supply chain, and product analytics.
Importance in Business or Economics
- Improves trust in data and decision-making.
- Reduces errors, inconsistencies, and compliance risk.
- Enables scalable data governance in large organizations.
- Enhances collaboration between business and data teams.
Types or Variations
- Business Data Stewards – Manage business definitions and usage.
- Technical Data Stewards – Manage system-level quality and integration.
- Domain Stewards – Own data quality within specific functions or domains.
Related Terms
- Data Governance
- Data Ownership
- Metadata Management
- Data Quality
Sources and Further Reading
- DAMA-DMBOK: Data Stewardship Guidelines
- Gartner: Enterprise Data Stewardship Models
- McKinsey: Data Operating Model Best Practices
Quick Reference
- Operational management of data assets
- Ensures quality, compliance, and consistency
- Executes governance policies
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is Data Stewardship the same as Data Governance?
No, governance defines rules; stewardship ensures they are followed.
Who can be a data steward?
Business analysts, data specialists, or domain experts trained in governance.
Why is stewardship important?
It prevents data issues that slow down analytics, reporting, and compliance.
