What does a Data Steward focus on?

A Data Steward plays a crucial role in managing and ensuring the quality of data within an organization. This includes not only the actual data but also the associated metadata, which provides valuable context and structure to the data. The focus of a Data Steward involves overseeing data governance practices related to data quality, accuracy, consistency, and security. They are responsible for defining data quality standards and policies, as well as monitoring compliance with those standards to ensure that the data being used across the organization is reliable and meaningful. This role is integral to promoting effective data management practices, which is essential for making informed decisions, ensuring regulatory compliance, and enhancing overall operational efficiency.

The emphasis on data quality and metadata management differentiates the responsibility of a Data Steward from other roles that may focus on technical or policy aspects of data management. While aspects like data destruction methods, system management, and policy creation for data handling are important in their own right, they do not specifically highlight the central charge of enhancing and maintaining data integrity and quality that a Data Steward embodies.