Data Governance Policy

OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND PROVOST

DATA GOVERNANCE POLICY

RESPONsmLE ADMINISTRATOR: ASSISTANT VICE PROVOST

RESPONSmLE OFFICE(S): INSTITUTIONAL ANALYSIS AND PLANNING

ORIGINALLY ISSUED: OCTOBER,2006

APPROVALS: ApPROVED BY:

1-22-/0

Michael W. Bowers, Executive Vice President

Provost Date

7- ~d.- (

Date

REVISION DATE: JULY, 2010

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

University data are institutional assets maintained to support UNL V's central missions of

teaching, research, and service. "University data" refers to collections of data elements

relevant to the operations, planning, or management of any unit at UNL

or data that are

reported or used in official administrative University reports.

To support effective and innovative management, University data must be accessible, must

correctly represent the information intended, and must be easily integrated across UNLV's

information systems. The purpose of data governance is to develop University-wide policies

and procedures that ensure that University data meet these criteria within and across UNLV's

administrative data systems, particularly the student, fmancial and human resource systems.

Data governance at UNL V was established at the direction of the Integrated Information

Systems Steering Group (IISSG) and approved by the President's Cabinet in April, 2005.

The purpose of the current Data Governance Policy is to achieve the following:

• Establish appropriate responsibility for the management of University data as an

institutional asset.

• Improve ease of access and ensure that once data are located, users have enough

information about the data to interpret them correctly and consistently.

• Improve the security of the data, including confidentiality and protection from

loss.

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• Improve the integrity of the data, resulting in greater accuracy, timeliness, and

quality of information for decision-making.

The Data Governance Policy addresses data governance structure and includes policies on

data access, data usage, and data integrity and integration.

ENTITIES AFFECTED BY THIS POLICY

Anyone at UNL V who creates data, manages it, or relies on it for decision making and

planning.

WHO SHOULD

READ

THIS POLICY

Data governance executive sponsors, data stewards, and all other UNLV employees who use

data, regardless of the form of storage or presentation.

POLICY

Table of Contents

1. Data Governance Structure

2. Data Access Policy

3. Data Usage Policy

4. Data Integrity and Integration Policy

1. Data Governance Structure

Data Governance is the practice of making strategic and effective decisions regarding

UNL

V's information assets. It assumes a philosophy of freedom of access to University data

by all members of the community coupled with the responsibility to adhere to all policies and

all legal constraints that govern that use.

In the interest of attaining effective data governance, the University applies formal guidelines

to manage the University's information assets and assigns staffto implement them. While

the University data administrator is assigned a leadership role and oversight for the activities

of data governance, this function is shared among the executive sponsors, data stewards, data

administrators, and data users.

Executive sponsors will appoint data stewards, and through the establishment of data policies

and institutional priorities, provide direction to them and data administrators. The

University's data stewards comprise the Data Governance Council, a body that meets

regularly to address a variety of data issues and concerns.

Overview of Roles for Governing University data

The following are general descriptions of the primary roles and responsibilities within Data

Governance.

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GOVERNANCE POLICY

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Executive Sponsors

Executive sponsors are senior University officials who have planning and policy

responsibility and accountability for major administrative data systems (e.g., student, human

resources, and financial) within their functional areas. By understanding the planning needs

of the institution, they are able to anticipate how data will be used to meet institutional needs.

Executive sponsors may include the following administrative personnel currently in place at

UNL V: Senior Director of Human Resource Administration, Associate Vice President for

Enrollment and Student Services, Senior Associate Dean of the Graduate College, Assistant

Vice Provost for Institutional Analysis and Planning, and Controller. Executive sponsors

meet as a group regularly to address a variety of data issues and concerns.

Director of Data Management

The director of data management works with the campus community to define a campus-

wide structure of data stewardship by making explicit the roles and responsibilities associated

with data management and compliance monitoring. This individual is responsible for

coordinating data policies and procedures in the three primary enterprise data systems -

student, finance, and human resources - ensuring representation of the interests of data

stewards, managers, and key users. The director of data management coordinates the

meetings and agendas for the executive sponsors and Data Governance Council and provides

support to related data management efforts. This individual is also responsible for developing

a university culture that supports data governance in areas with critical peripheral databases

that exist beyond the major administrative systems.

The director of data management works to ensure that all University data are represented

within a single logical data model that will be the source for all physical data models.

Informed by the Data Governance Council, the data administration area, led by the director

of data management, is responsible for developing a University data model and

corresponding data structures and domains.

Data Stewards

Data stewards are appointed by executive sponsors to implement established data policies

and general administrative data security policies. Data stewards, who comprise the Data

Governance Council, are responsible for safeguarding data from unauthorized access and

abuse through established procedures and educational programs. They authorize the use of

data within their functional areas and monitor this use to verify appropriate data access. They

support access by providing appropriate documentation and training to support University

data users. Included among data stewards are the following administrative personnel

currently in place at UNLV: Registrar, Assistant Controller for Student Finance, Assistant

Budget Director, Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions/Data Coordinator, Director of

Financial Aid, Director of Admissions, and Director of Human Resources Administration.

Data Administrators

Data administrators are University employees who most often report to data stewards and

whose duties provide them with an intricate understanding of the data in their area. They

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work with the data stewards to establish procedures for the responsible management of data,

including data entry and reporting. Some data administrators may work in a technology unit

outside of the functional unit, but have responsibilities for implementing the decisions of the

stewards. Technical data administrators may be responsible for implementing backup and

retention plans, or ensuring proper performance of database software and hardware.

Information regarding the activities surrounding data governance can be found at the data

governance website: http://ir.unlv.edu/iap/DataGov.aspx.

2. Data Access Policy

The purpose of the data access policy is to ensure that employees have appropriate access to

institutional data and information. While recognizing the University's responsibility for the

security of data, the procedures established to protect that data must not interfere unduly with

the efficient conduct of University business. This policy applies to all University units and to

all uses of institutional data, regardless of the offices or format in which the data reside.

Statement of Policy

The value of data as an institutional resource is increased through its widespread and

appropriate use; its value is diminished through misuses, misinterpretation, and unnecessary

restrictions to its !access.

The University will protect its data assets through security measures that assure the proper

use of the data when accessed. Every data item will be classified by the relevant data steward

to have an appropriate access level. Data access will be conducted in accordance with the

policies established by the Office of Information Technology (OIT).

Any employee or non-employee denied access may appeal the denial to the Data Governance

Executive Sponsors.

3. Data Usage Policy

The purpose of the data usage policy is to ensure that University data are not misused or

abused, and are used ethically, according to any applicable law, and with due consideration

for individual privacy. Use of data depends on the security levels assigned by the data

steward.

Statement of Policy

University personnel must access and use data only as required for the performance of their

job functions, not for personal gain or for other inappropriate purposes; they must also access

and use data according to the security levels assigned to the data. Data usage falls into the

categories of update, read-only, and external dissemination.

Authority to update data shall be granted by the appropriate data steward only to personnel

whose job duties specify and require responsibility for data update. This restriction is not to

be interpreted as a mandate to limit update authority to members of any specific group or

office but should be tempered with the university's desire to provide excellent service to

faculty, staff, students, and other constituents.

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Read-only usage to administrative information will be provided to employees for the support

of university business without unnecessary difficulties/restrictions.

Only those data elements designated as "directory information" (as defined by NSHE policy

or FERP A) can be externally disseminated for official or "nonofficial" reporting. Even

release of directory information should be guided by the need to respect individual privacy

and to protect the integrity of the data. The release of all other data must be approved by the

responsible data steward. Data usage will be conducted in accordance with policies

established by the Office of Information Technology (OIT).

Consequence of Noncompliance with Data Usage Policy

UNL V employees and students who fail to comply with the data usage policy will be

considered in violation of the relevant University codes of conduct and may be subject to

disciplinary action or to legal action if laws have been violated. In less serious cases, failure

to comply with this policy could result in denial of access to data.

4. Data Integrity and Integration Policy

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that University data have a high degree of integrity

and that key data elements can be integrated across functional units and electronic systems so

that University faculty, staff, and management may rely on data for information and decision

support.

Data integrity refers to the validity, reliability, and accuracy of data. Data integrity relies on a

clear understanding of the business processes underlying the data and the consistent

defmition of each data element.

Data integration, or the ability of data to be assimilated across information systems, is

contingent upon the integrity of data and the development of a data model, corresponding

data structures, and domains.

Statement of Policy

University data will be consistently interpreted across all university systems according to the

best practices agreed upon by the Data Governance Council, and it will have documented

values in all UNLV systems. Data administration will ensure that the needs of users of

University data are taken into consideration in the development and modification of data

structures, domains, and values. It is the responsibility of each data steward to ensure the

correctness of the data values for the elements within their charge.

University data are defined as data that are maintained in support of a functional unit's

operation and meet one or more of the following criteria:

1) the data elements are key fields, that is, integration of information requires the data

element;

2) the University must ensure the integrity of the data to comply with internal and

external administrative reporting requirements, including institutional planning

efforts;

3) the data are reported on or used in official administrative university reports;

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4) a broad cross section of users requires the data.

It is the responsibility of each data steward, in conjunction with the Data Governance

Council, to determine which core data elements are part of University data.

Documentation (metadata) on each data element will be maintained within a University

repository according to specifications provided by the Director of Data Management and

informed by the Data Governance Council. These specifications will include both the

technical representation/definition of each element, as well as a complete interpretation that

explains the meaning of the element and how it is derived and used. The interpretation will

include acceptable values for each element, and any special considerations, such as timing

within an academic calendar.

All employees are expected to bring data problems and suggestions for improvements to the

attention of the appropriate data stewards, the Data Governance Council, or the director of

data management.