Databases Reference
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survive as an ongoing goal. Data managers' relationships with stakehold-
ers are one of mutual interdependence. The stakeholders are comprised of
the producers of data, the custodians of data, and the users of data. The
“web of life” view of data and information is a complex set of relation-
ships between and among these groups with different needs, goals, rights,
accountabilities, expectations, and responsibilities. By entering into good
relationships, organizations gain stakeholder satisfaction and loyalty
while stakeholders look for quality. Participation-based governance infra-
structures help adapt to the scale of problems and reduce artificial conflict.
Stakeholder relationships in a data warehouse environment can be com-
plex. Some stakeholders in data governance may forego better exchange of
data and information because of their commitment and loyalty to a par-
ticular department in the organization. They may not be willing to share
metadata or data, because it may be perceived as giving up the benefits asso-
ciated with the ownership of the data, even though it would lead to better
governance. Also, if one of the stakeholders represents a major portion of
the other's business, there may be a risk of overdependence and there would
be reluctance to data sharing. Since relationships between the IT depart-
ment and key stakeholder groups evolve over time, it is important to under-
stand the development of these relationships. One way to ensure strong
stakeholder relationship is to determine what is important in the relation-
ship from the stakeholder's perspective, explore issues that are important to
the stakeholder, understand how the processes in the stakeholder's depart-
ment works, and to ensure that all relevant issues are addressed.
Stakeholder needs will undergo variability depending upon differ-
ent situations. The quality of the data and services offered is essential
for stakeholders to continue their involvement in data governance deci-
sion making. Trust between the IT department and stakeholder groups
is important for these types of decisions to be made jointly. The IT man-
agement groups should endeavor to establish long-term relationships with
stakeholder groups to minimize the amount of time they spend on negoti-
ating. Complacency on the part of IT management puts at risk such long-
term relationships with data governance stakeholders. Providing good
services should increase the likelihood that a relationship will continue
in the future. If IT department data managers can develop trust and keep
their stakeholders satisfied, they will be less likely to search for other alter-
natives for their data needs.
Data governance is not a single event, but a continuous process. Data
governance systems take time and effort to devise and implement. Business
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