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Enterprise Data Management Resource Center

This resource center compiles best practices to organize and operationalize effective enterprise data management.

Enterprise data management is a prerequisite for data-informed decision-making and securing data on campus, yet it requires significant effort and organization for success. With so many moving parts on campus, higher ed leaders struggle to identify and push forward priorities, which often leads to stalled data efforts.

To help higher ed data teams with the planning needed for successful enterprise data management efforts, EAB compiled the Enterprise Data Management Resource Center. Explore the top priorities that institutions must accomplish to improve data management—along with corresponding EAB resources—in five overarching categories:

  • Optimize governance structures

    • Structure and staff data governance committee(s)
    • Clarify leadership roles to ensure organizational continuity
    • Map data domains and designate data stewards

     

    Explore

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    Develop an enterprise data strategy

    • Solicit campus feedback to identify data strategy priorities
    • Establish data strategy principles and vision
    • Formalize an enterprise data management strategy

     

    Explore

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    Build stakeholder readiness

    • Assess campus data readiness
    • Garner senior leader sponsorship
    • Educate units on their role in strong data management

     

    Explore

  • “”

    Standardize data definitions

    • Prioritize areas for data standardization
    • Create enterprise data objects for commonly used data
    • Compile data definitions in a user-friendly format

     

    Explore

  • “”

    Deliver quality data to campus

    • Enable access to data based on role
    • Embed data quality accountability mechanisms
    • Facilitate active data consumption

     

    Explore

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Optimize governance structures

Governance structures, starting with data governance committees, provide strategic and operational oversight and form the backbone of an institution’s enterprise data management efforts. Once these structures are in place, establish clear initiative leadership (such as clarifying responsibilities between IT and Institutional Research) and implement guardrails like continuity planning to ensure the sustainability of data management work. Finally, refine data stewardship structures to ensure day-to-day ownership and accountability for data efforts.

Structure and staff data governance committee(s)

Research Report: Data Governance Committees

In section one of our Designing Effective Data Governance report, discover best practices for designing agile and sustainable committees, including sample committee charters, structures, and member lists.

Read the Report

Expert Consultation: Data Governance Committee Review

Request a customized review and discussion with an EAB expert based on your proposed or acting data governance committee structures. To participate, reach out to your Strategic Leader or [email protected] and submit your current data governance structures and member list. An EAB expert will review your materials and provide tailored best-practice recommendations.

Request an Expert Review

Clarify leadership roles to ensure organizational continuity

Research Report: Initiative Leadership and Organizational Continuity

Section two of our Designing Effective Data Governance report outlines how to establish leadership roles and organizational guardrails to ensure the sustainability of data work.

Read the Report

Tool: Guide to Clarify IT and IR Roles and Responsibilities

Access a template and discussion questions to clearly delineate IT and IR roles and responsibilities for data management efforts.

Get the Template

Map data domains and designate data stewards

Research Report: Implementation and Stewardship Frameworks

Section three of our Designing Effective Data Governance report shares tactics and case studies on preparing people and structures to operationalize enterprise data management, including overviews of data domain mapping processes and data steward roles.

Read the Report

Develop an enterprise data strategy

Enterprise data management efforts often stall as leaders struggle to align concurrent workstreams with strategic priorities. Take the time to identify campus data priorities and develop the vision and principles that will inform all data management work. Then, create a formal strategy to hold campus accountable to its data vision and principles and drive progress on initiatives.

Solicit campus feedback to identify data strategy priorities

Tool: Data Strategy Self-Assessment

Institutional data leaders should conduct this self-assessment to help identify strengths and opportunities and prompt discussion about data strategy priorities.

Assess Your Data Strategy

Establish data strategy principles and vision

Tool: Data Strategy Principles and Vision (Forthcoming)

We’re developing a framework and guide to help leaders develop the vision and principles that serve as the foundation of their data strategy.

Formalize an enterprise data management strategy

Event: Enterprise Data Management Collaborative

Join senior data leaders for four sessions of an expert-led curriculum that will help you develop and implement a comprehensive data strategy on your campus.

Learn More and Register

On-Demand Webinar: Designing Effective Governance That Supports University Strategy

Watch a panel of higher ed CIOs discuss how they developed their enterprise data strategy, from design to addressing common roadblocks.

Watch Now

Tool: Operationalizing Data Strategy (Forthcoming)

Stay tuned for a framework and guide to help leaders establish accountability for and make their data strategy actionable.

Build stakeholder readiness

People—not technology, structures, or processes—are the biggest roadblocks to enterprise data management. Take a temperature check of stakeholder commitment to data and data literacy to identify who needs to be converted from detractors to allies. It is essential to both garner senior leader support for enterprise-wide efforts and to communicate to units why and how they should be accountable for data management, while speaking to them in their terms and priorities.

Assess campus data readiness

Expert Consultation: Assess Key Stakeholders in Enterprise Data Management

Complete this self-exercise or contact your Strategic Leader for an expert consultation to identify the right stakeholders to engage in data management efforts and how to approach opposition.

Start the Exercise  Request a Consultation

Garner senior leader sponsorship

On-Demand Webinar: Leadership Perspectives on Campus Data Strategy

Uncover higher ed leadership’s perspective on the state of data and analytics on campus based on EAB’s 2022 Data & Analytics Survey.

Educate units on their role in strong data management

On-Demand Webinar: Building Data Literacy

Hear about strategies to overcome common barriers and challenges related to campus data literacy.

Watch Now

Standardize data definitions

Standardizing the growing number of data terms across campus requires constant care and attention—but it is essential to ensure robust analysis. First, prioritize data to standardize based on institutional priorities. Then, make sure the data dictionary is designed to optimize accessibility and usability to promote enterprise data use across campus.

Prioritize areas for data standardization

Research Report: Select Strategic Focus Areas For Data Definition

Section one of our Defining Enterprise Data Terms for Campus report shares how to select where to begin data standardization efforts, including sample terms and priority analyses.

Read the Report

Tool: Priority Data Analyses to Promote Student Success

This tool will help you identify data focus areas that best align with desired student success analyses and associated outcomes.

Use These Analyses

Create enterprise data objects for commonly used data

Research Report: Data Definition Processes and Standards

In section two of our Defining Enterprise Data Terms for Campus report, access strategy frameworks and definition templates to help streamline enterprise data definition and standardization.

Read the Report

Tool: Tackling the Data Quality Challenge

Our templates and guidelines will help leaders standardize definitions and ensure the quality of the most common data pain points.

Get the Tool

Compile data definitions in a user-friendly format

Research Report: Data Dictionary Design Principles

Section three of our Defining Enterprise Data Terms for Campus report shares guidance and case studies on design principles to help promote the accessibility and usability of your enterprise data dictionary.

Read the Report

Deliver quality data to campus

The final stage of enterprise data management is the delivery of data and analytics to campus. To do this securely, institutions must classify data based on sensitivity and provision access to data based on user roles. Next, embed accountability mechanisms into data processes so that the quality of data is continuously monitored and improved. Finally, promote active data consumption by incorporating user feedback and streamlining use of data services across campus.

Enable access to data based on role

Research Report: Data Security and Access Controls

In section one of our Delivering Quality Data to Campus report, explore tactics and case studies to develop and implement principled data sensitivity and role-based permissions data security and access controls.

Read the Report

Workshop: How to Engage Your Campus in a Security-First Culture

Contact your Strategic Leader to request a customized, expert-led session on how to improve your institution’s security posture, or check out takeaways and presentation decks from our previous roundtable on the subject.

Request a Workshop

Embed data quality accountability mechanisms

Research Report: Data Quality Accountability Measures

Section two of our Delivering Quality Data to Campus report provides tools to incorporate into data processes to ensure and continuously improve data quality.

Read the Report

Facilitate active data consumption

Research Report: Data User Feedback Mechanisms

Learn about tactics and mechanisms to improve data usage by engaging end users in section three of our Delivering Quality Data to Campus report.

Read the Report

Research Report: Increasing Consumption of Standardized Enterprise Data and Integrations

Uncover best practices and implementation steps to help increase campus uptake of data services.

Read the Report

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