Measuring the maturity of a data catalog initiative lets you base the actions of your catalog project on facts rather than impressions.
DataGalaxy's maturity model tells you how to apply a maturity model in your company, how to communicate around it and how to assess the results.
What is the DataGalaxy maturity model?
In the CMMI/DAMA approach, data governance covers many themes: architecture, data analysis, storage, security and more. DataGalaxy addresses the metadata management part, which is data cataloging.
A catalog deployment needs to be objectified, so our model is strongly inspired by these maturity models. It rests on one observation: a data cataloging approach only succeeds if two axes are taken into account:
- Asset maturity: how well the data is known, from a technical and a functional point of view, in your company.
- Cultural maturity: whether each player understands their role and responsibilities in the data value chain.
Based on our experience with customers, a catalog initiative goes through five maturity levels:
| Level | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| 1. Anarchy | No catalog; few or no data roles identified in the company. |
| 2. Inventory | Business teams see the need to understand data, and some business lines or initiatives address it. |
| 3. Mapping | The catalog gains maturity and is enriched with definitions and/or context. The beginnings of a data organization appear, and the company communicates on the importance of data. |
| 4. Management | Data teams are in place, management rules are defined, measured and communicated. Data is at the heart of your activities. |
| 5. Governance 2.0 | Not an end in itself: the outcome of your first iteration, which becomes your new baseline to start a virtuous circle of continuous improvement around data. |
How to assess your maturity
To assess your maturity on the two axes (and place yourself in the model), use the same approach as data governance maturity models: a series of indicators showing your level, used in a survey or assessment.
For example, ask "Are all the attributes of my business terms filled in?" with an answer scale from 0 to 5 (0 is never, 5 is always). The score tells you where you stand on the maturity scale, so you can take the right actions to move up.
You get a view of your catalog maturity that you can share through your communication channels. In the example in the original article, you can clearly see a business-oriented catalog where the glossary and uses are the priority axes, with room to improve by documenting the technical aspects.
How to use the results
As with data governance maturity models, a catalog maturity assessment lets you:
- make your approach factual;
- identify improvement axes more easily: both approaches (data governance and data catalog) are about continuous, iterative improvement of your business processes;
- compare organizations facing the same needs and constraints.
What to do once you know your level
Choose use cases that fit your level, then make the case for the project.