Glossary

Approved definitions related to data standards.

Term or Acronym	Definition	Source/Date Approved/Revised
Data Custodian	Data Custodians manage the database structures and technology resources of the college. They are, generally, members of the IT Department. Data custodians carry a significant responsibility to protect data and prevent unauthorized use by protecting data as defined by standard practices and college security and privacy policies. Custodians have modification and distribution privileges and are data providers to data users. They work closely with Data Stewards to troubleshoot problems and evaluate new functionality or technology proposals.	DSAC 01.24.14/02.18.16
Data Irregularities	Invalid or questionable data that can result in inaccurate reporting and statistical analysis and which can negatively impact decision making.	DSAC 03.13.14
Data Management	The development, implementation and supervision of policies and procedures used to regulate, protect, and enhance the value of data assets.	DSAC 04.10.14
Data Owner	The person, or persons, having primary authority and decision responsibility over a particular collection of college data. Data Owners ensure that the college is following its policies and is in compliance with federal and state regulations and approve changes to metrics. Data owners typically are Directors or Deans and are associated with the functional side of an organization rather than technical side. They assist in choosing Data Stewards for their areas and are advised by Data Stewards.	DSAC 01.24.14
Data Power User	The person, or persons, who utilize college data to perform their responsibilities, and work to interpret business needs and data requirements, as well as resolve data errors.  Data Power Users are active in maintaining, auditing, understanding data use within their department and validating data for quality and consistency.	DSAC 06.09.20
Data Standards Manual	The Data Standards Manual establishes common guidelines, rules, and policies for maintaining shared data items and when updating or adding records within the integrated Banner database system. The manual assists in training new employees, serves as a reference for current employees and establishes an institutional culture of data stewardship.	DSAC 04.10.14/02.16.18
Data Steward	Data Stewards are functional subject matter experts who operate under delegated authority to act on a Data Owners behalf and who actively participate in processes that establish business context and quality definition for data elements. Data Stewards often have data custodial responsibilities and may represent data owners in policy discussions, architectural discussions, or in decision making forums. Data stewards serve as liaisons between functional Data Users and IT and are active in maintaining and auditing data for quality and consistency.	DSAC 01.24.14
Data Stewardship	The management and oversight of data assets to help provide users with high-quality data that is easily accessible in a consistent manner.	DSAC 03.13.14
Data User	Any person or party that utilizes college data to perform their job responsibilities. To the degree that a data user is charged with entry and maintenance of college data, they have responsibility for the custodial care of that data. Data users share responsibility in helping data stewards and custodians manage and protect data by understanding and following the security and privacy policies of the college related to data use.	DSAC 01.24.14
Operational Systems	An operational system is a transactional system that is used to process the daily business of an organization. Because of their design, the transactional database in operational systems is frequently updated and therefor the systems generally support current rather than historical reporting. Examples include Banner, 25Live and Degree Works.	DSAC 04.10.14
Subject Matter Expert (SME)	A Subject Matter Expert is an individual who understands and can define a process' inputs, steps and outputs well enough to advise others.	DSAC 03.13.14

Last Updated: 02.18.16 - cgraham

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