Data Strategy vs. Data Architecture

The Changing Role of the Data Architect Algmin said that Data Leadership is largely made of Data Architecture, but it’s also about becoming part of the business as well as providing support for behavior change; “Things that go above and beyond what Data Architecture is.” The role of the Data Architect is changing significantly, he said..“It used to be simple..We had databases, we had some ETL, and then we’d shoot out a report and that would be cool.” Because of the scale and number of options for working with data, along with a simultaneous level of granularity inherent in IoT, being a Data Architect is no longer synonymous with being a database developer or modeler building data flows for reporting purposes..The line between the Data Architect and the Enterprise Architect has become less clear..Enterprise Architecture has largely fallen by the wayside in many organizations because many Enterprise Architects expected the business to work within the technological parameters established by IT, rather than tailoring the technology to the needs of the business..“A lot of Enterprise Architects, in my opinion, [became] too fond of the idea that they mattered by themselves..But really, whether you’re talking Data Architecture or Enterprise Architecture, until you’re creating business impact, you don’t matter at all.” By being abstracted from the problem solving and planning process, Enterprise Architects became unresponsive, he said, and “buried in the catacombs” of IT..Data Architecture needs to look at finding and putting the right mechanisms in place to support business outcomes, which could be everything from Data Systems and Data Warehouses to visualization tools..Data Architects who see themselves as empowered to facilitate the practical implementation of the Business Strategy by offering whatever tools are needed will make decisions that create data value..“So now you see the Data Architect holding the keys to a lot of what’s happening in our organizations, because all roads lead through data.” Algmin thinks of data as energy, because stored data by itself can’t accomplish anything, and like energy, it comes with significant risks..“Data only has value when you put it to use, and if you put it to use inappropriately, you can create a huge mess,” such as a privacy breach..Like energy, it’s important to focus on how data is being used and have the right controls in place.. More details

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