Datahushållning

Datahushållning is a practice for managing and governing data as a strategic asset within organizations and the public sector. It encompasses policies, processes, and roles that ensure data is accurate, secure, accessible to authorized users, and used in a responsible and compliant manner. The approach integrates data management, privacy, and governance to support decision making, interoperability, and value creation.

Common elements of datahushållning include defining clear roles such as data owners, data stewards, and data custodians, along with established governance structures. It emphasizes data quality management, metadata and lineage tracking, data classification, and inventories of data assets. Lifecycle management covers creation, modification, storage, sharing, and eventual deletion of data. Access controls, privacy impact assessments, and compliance monitoring are core activities to protect sensitive information.

Practices typically involve establishing data standards and policies, maintaining data catalogs, and creating data sharing agreements that balance openness with privacy and security. Transparency, accountability, and auditable records are central principles, aligning data use with organizational goals and legal requirements.

Legal and ethical context is a key driver, with datahushållning supporting compliance with data protection regulations (such as GDPR in the European context) and national implementations. It also emphasizes purpose limitation, data minimization, and ethical considerations in data use.

Benefits include improved decision quality, reduced data duplication, better risk management, and increased efficiency. Challenges often involve coordinating across departments, integrating legacy systems, overcoming data silos, and balancing access with privacy and security.