More Data Request Best Practices

Data Governance and data intelligence is about best-practices designed to help people access, understand, connect, and effectively use your organization’s data across all systems.

Data governance should be open to all consumers and creators as well as having an established communication process. An important process to have is a data request process.

In a previous post we covered our Thoughts on Data Requests.  Also in a previous post we provided 3 best practices for the data request process.  Here are 4 more best practices:

Best Practice #4: Data Requests Templates

It is important to have templates for each type of data request.  Here are our thoughts on templates:

• Make them easy to use but thorough
• Include examples or style guides where appropriate
• Start with simple templates but add templates with increasing complexity when deemed necessary
• Have a simple request entry
• If you have a ticketing system, the template can be used as a script for interviewing the requestor and starting the conversation
• Your template should, if possible, refer to and update your data dictionary

Best Practice #5: Build Your Knowledge Base w/Each Request

Make this an opportunity at add to your knowledge base.  Each data request can create:

• New entry in your data deliverables catalog
• Specifications/Documentation
• New data definitions (functional or technical)
• Data quality rules and/or issues
• New documentation in the data system inventory

Best Practice #6: Just-in-Time Data Governance

We are a big fan of just-in-time data governance which includes:

• Data Governance involvement as part of data request process
• Review and approval of the specification
• Review, editing, and approval of any new data definitions
• Place for questions and answers

Best Practice #7: Have a Data Request/Queue Manager

When should you have a data request manager? Well, of course that depends on the size and staffing of your organization.  But here are the benefits of a request manager:

• Monitor the status
• Avoid cherry picking
• Set Priorities
• More efficient and timely

Use a tool like the Data Cookbook to handle your data requests so that all stakeholders can interact with the system as well as have integration with reporting tools and ticketing systems.  Also check out our other data request resources in this blog post.

If interested in learning more about the Data Cookbook or our data governance services, feel free to  .

(image credit StockSnap_GYTYWUEPHO_DataRequestThoughts #1065)