Data Governance · Ownership · Component
The custodian
Who operates the system it lives in — a distinct role from the owner, and conflating them means nobody judges correctness.
The deliverable
What it is
The custodian keeps the system running, the backups working and the access configured. The owner decides what the data should say.
Where the two are the same person, correctness becomes an availability question, because that is what the custodian can actually observe.
One level in
What it is made of
Each element is a constituent part of the component. Follow one to see the attributes it carries.
The escalation
What happens when they disagree.
3 attributes: Escalates to · Turnaround · Escalations
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Where owner and custodian are the same person, correctness quietly becomes an availability question.
The other components in ownership
The owner
Who is accountable for the data set being right — a named person in the business, since a technical function cannot judge whether a value is correct.
LearnThe handover
What happens to ownership when someone changes role — because it lapses silently and nobody notices for a year.
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