Andmevarude

Andmevarude is a term used in information management to denote the collection of data assets that an organization holds and can exploit for operations, analytics, and decision making. The word combines andmed (data) and varud (resources), and it is commonly used in Estonian discussions of data governance and architecture. It refers to both the data itself and the metadata that describes it.

Scope and components: Andmevarude refer to structured data stored in databases and data warehouses, semi-structured data in logs and JSON files, unstructured data such as documents and media, as well as metadata, data catalogs, master data, and reference data. They may reside in on-premises systems, cloud storage, data lakes, data warehouses, or archival repositories.

Management: Effective handling relies on data governance, data stewardship, and data architecture. Key practices include data cataloging, data lineage tracking, data quality controls, and privacy and security measures to ensure compliance with laws and regulations. Tools commonly used include data catalogs, metadata repositories, and quality dashboards.

Lifecycle and usage: The lifecycle of andmevarude involves creation, storage, processing, and consumption by business processes and analytics workloads. It is governed with access controls and retention policies, and may be archived or purged when no longer needed.

Challenges and benefits: Common challenges include data silos, inconsistent data quality, duplication, and interoperability across systems. Properly managed, andmevarude enable reliable reporting, data-driven decision making, and opportunities for machine learning, while posing privacy and security risks that require ongoing risk management. See also: Data governance, Data management, Data lineage.