Non-Invasive Data Governance: The Path of Least Resistance and Greatest Success First Edition

If you are running or wanting to know about data governance this is the book for you.

This is a must-have for anyone working in data governance. If you’re picking just one book on the topic, this should be the one—it covers everything that truly matters.

This book is a perfect starting point for anyone who needs to implement data governance. It lacks specifics on how to implement; it’s mostly focused on best practices the author has accumulated over their career. I would recommend this to someone who needs to organize their thoughts but would search for industry best practices and artifacts when implementing

This book has been an enjoyable read thus far - and I have to admit, I've found some Data Governance books a challenge to get into. I'm only on the third chapter, but I've begun recommending it to friends and coworkers.Early on, the author of Non-Invasive Data Governance emphasizes the points I paraphrase below, which really resonate with me. They address some of the misconceptions that have lead to resistance to data governance efforts, in the author's experience:- Data Governance need not be a huge challenge. That's why the author chose that title: it can be non-invasive, non-threatening, and non-interfering.- Data Governance is not a technical solution. There may or may not be a technical component to your solution,- It's people's behavior, not data, that is actually governed. Data Governance formalizes our behaviors with respect to data. We already do this informally - and often poorly, without reflection or collaborative planning.- Data Governance is an evolution, not a revolution. It can't be completed all at once.These very simple, straight-forward observations are typical of this book. If there's one thing that all Data Governance experts agree on, it's that successful Data Governance projects need management buy-in. The soundness of this guidance and tips for selling Data Governance to management drew me in from the start, as they demonstrate an understanding of how real DG projects work. Not all Business or MIS texts are as engaging as this one.It's also available as an Audible audiobook if that's your preferred means of consumption

This book is like a primer on the topic of Data Governance (DG). It is not as detailed and heavy as Data Governance: How to Design, Deploy and Sustain an Effective Data Governance Program (The Morgan Kaufmann Series on Business Intelligence), but it quickly introduces the concepts of Data Governance, and how it relates to the various management functions in companies.The author provides solid examples of conveying the value of Data Governance to the higher management, and showing how DG ties to the business value at the enterprise level. This is important at the beginning of a DG program, and also for sustaining it, introducing it at lower levels, etc. because unless enough care is taken, there's a high risk of resistance from various departments and people (hence the author's focus of being non-invasive from the start).I liked the The Data Governance Test in which various dimensions and aspects of DG program are clearly laid out in the form of testing where your company is in this journey, such as:Risk ManagementData Compliance & Regulatory ControlInformation Security & Data ClassificationMetadata ManagementData Quality ManagementBusiness Intelligence and Data IntegrationMaster Data ManagementData StewardshipAnother artifact I found useful as a Data Officer is the Common Data Matrix, a two-dimensional grid in the form of a spreadsheet that cross-references data of an organization with the individuals who define, produce, and use data. This spreadsheet also registers the DSMEs (Data Subject Matter Experts), and SSMEs (System Subject Matter Experts), because these are the people that can become involved if and when necessary in governance activities pertaining to the data they know.The book also does a good job of identifying strategic, executive, tactical, and operational layers, showing how they are connected, and what the responsibilities of people are in each of these layers. I think this knowledge is important for establishing successful DG, because you should be very conscious about what you can expect from which roles in a company.Apart from these positive points, the book does not add a lot of detail in terms of concretely running a DG program. As I wrote in the beginning, it is a quick introductory text; it's Index is only two pages, and it doesn't have References or Further Reading section at the end. You'll definitely need to consult other sources in your DG journey.

Robert Seiner has been a great speaker on Data Governance for many years and I am glad that he finally put his thoughts together in a book form. Robert articulates very well from his extensive field experience and that fact should give confidence to the reader (at least it did for me having following his writings and webinars for years).The only fly in the ointment for me was him referring to "Non-invasive Data Governance" making you feel uncomfortable and think "maybe I need to look at other viewpoints...". Well his material is a great way to start and is comprehensive. I would have no hesitation in recommending this book to fellow data management practitioners.

I like the concept of non-invasive data governance: it makes it easier to convince leadership and stakeholders. Great guide on how to start. Provides you with a few (almost) free tools to kick start your data governance process.

I’ve had this book for over a year now and find myself referring back to it every other month as we continue deploying a new data governance program at my company. It’s been a great resource to always have within arm’s reach.