Did you know that there are different types of data roles defined at UQ? All staff have a part to play in UQ’s data landscape. Learn about the different data roles within UQ, your responsibilities, and how you contribute to ensuring we all work with high quality data.
Data roles
Common data roles include:
- Information Creators capture or create the information.
(E.g. Admissions officers capture and update student related information in SI-net). - Information Consumers use the information. They select the best source of information to meet their requirements for use.
(E.g. The Service Desk manager may export information from the CRM system to run a report on how quickly service requests are being resolved.) - Information Stewards are responsible for the quality, integrity and use of an information asset on a day-to-day basis.
(E.g. The Director, Research Ethics is responsible for Human Ethics and Animal Ethics information assets.) - Information Domain Custodians are responsible for defining and implementing safeguards to ensure the protection of information within their information domain.
(E.g. the Chief Financial Officer is responsible for the Financial domain.)
You may fall into one, or more, of these categories.
Data responsibilities
All staff have responsibilities for data, including: ensuring you handle data appropriately and securely; complying with all legal, regulatory, and policy requirements; and contributing to data quality.
In addition, the data roles listed above have specific data responsibilities. All data roles and responsibilities are outlined under section 4.3 of the Information Governance and Management Framework.
Data quality
Quality decisions are informed by quality data. Quality data starts with you.
There are six dimensions of data quality. Considering and addressing these dimensions will help improve data quality:
- Accuracy. How well does a piece of information reflect reality?
- Completeness. Is it comprehensive / are all required fields filled?
- Consistency. Does information stored in one place match relevant data stored elsewhere?
- Timeliness. Is it available when you need it?
- Validity. Is it in the right format / follow business rules?
- Uniqueness. Is there a single ‘source of truth’, or have you accidentally recorded the same data multiple times?
More information
For more information on data governance at UQ, contact datagovernance@uq.edu.au.
All staff have a part to play in managing UQ’s data landscape. If you’re interested in expanding your data knowledge, TAFE Queensland are offering free micro-credentials in Digital Data Essentials, Data Security Essentials and Data Analysis Essentials.
