What is a data governance council?

A data governance council is a cross-functional team responsible for defining and enforcing policies, standards, and processes for managing an organization’s data. Its primary role is to ensure data is accurate, secure, and used ethically while aligning with business goals. The council typically includes representatives from IT, legal, compliance, business units, and data engineering teams. For developers, this means the council sets rules around data access, quality checks, and integration patterns, which directly impact how systems are designed and maintained. For example, the council might mandate encryption for sensitive data or define schemas for shared datasets.

The council operates by establishing clear roles and decision-making frameworks. Developers might interact with it when requesting access to production data for testing or proposing changes to data pipelines. A common task for the council is approving data classification standards—like labeling data as “public,” “internal,” or “confidential”—which determine how developers handle storage and access controls. For instance, a council might require audit logs for all database queries involving customer information, leading developers to implement logging mechanisms in their applications. Tools like data catalogs or metadata management systems are often governed by the council to ensure consistency across teams.

From a developer’s perspective, the council’s work can streamline collaboration but may also introduce constraints. For example, standardized APIs for data sharing, mandated by the council, reduce integration headaches between teams. However, approval processes for schema changes might slow down feature releases. A real-world scenario could involve the council enforcing a unified timestamp format across all systems, eliminating timezone conversion bugs in reporting tools. While the council’s policies add structure, developers play a key role in providing feedback to balance governance with technical practicality, ensuring rules don’t hinder innovation.