datasteward

A datasteward is a person or role responsible for managing a specific data domain within an organization to ensure the data’s quality, security, accessibility, and compliance. They act as custodians of data assets and serve as a bridge between business units and information technology.

Responsibilities typically include defining and maintaining data definitions and metadata, establishing data quality rules and metrics, monitoring data quality, and facilitating data lineage and lifecycle management. Datastewards ensure appropriate data access and privacy controls, support regulatory compliance, and resolve data-related issues in collaboration with data owners, data custodians, and technical teams. They also contribute to data governance by documenting policies, aligning data practices with business objectives, and promoting data literacy.

Datastewards operate within a governance framework that often differentiates roles such as data owner, data steward, and data custodian. Domain-specific stewards may exist for areas like customers, products, suppliers, or finance. They typically participate in governance councils or stearing bodies, help prioritize data initiatives, and implement standards for naming, classification, and data quality.

Techniques and tools commonly used include data catalogs and dictionaries, metadata repositories, data quality dashboards, profiling tools, and workflow software for stewardship processes. Datastewards work with policy documents and classification schemes to enforce data handling rules and privacy requirements, and they document decisions to support audit trails.

The scope and authority of a datasteward can vary by organization. Some are full-time roles with formal decision rights, while others are part-time responsibilities assigned to subject-matter experts. Effective datasteward programs require clear accountability, collaboration across functions, and measurable data quality objectives.