Data Administration

Introduction
Databases are shared resources that belong to the entire enterprise; they are not the property of a single function or individual within the organization. Data administration is the custodian of the organizations data, the data administrator must develop procedures to protect and control resources and also resolve dispute that may arise when the data are centralized and shared among users and must play a significant role in defining where the data must be stored and managed. Data administration is a high level function that is responsible with the overall management in an organization including maintaining corporate wide data definition and standards.
The role of data administration has changed a lot from the traditional role of setting data policies procedures and standards, resolving data conflicts, managing the information repository and internal marketing to a more evolved approach which include a blend of data and database administration hence in modern term a data administration may refer to the way in which data integrity is maintained within a warehouse. With the rapid change in the business condition more specialized data administration roles have evolved like procedural DBA’s(database administrator), e-DBA’s, The PDA DBA’s etc hence modern DBA’s must be able to create and enforce data standard and policies. The role that such administrator will play largely depends on type of the organization, the size of the organization and size of the IT department.
The functions that a Data administration plays are
• Create standards for naming things: data elements, databases
• Ensure the integrity of data in an organization’s systems
• Deal with data access policies
• Manage metadata repositories (data dictionaries)
• Implement data warehouses
• Do data modeling for warehouse or other projects
• Build consensus between data users and technical personnel
Even today data naming is a key to maximize the value of data resource, sharing data with others meeting customer data needs and realizing other business benefits.
Best practice
The best practice for data administration should include creating an effective data naming program the data administrator should at a minimum develop
1) Policies for data naming: how data naming is administered; who can name data, rules for data name format, rules for data name content, rules for use of alternative names, criteria’s for adding to or modifying data naming rules.

2) Develop standard names for the organizations data: establish a list of prime word class word allowable abbreviation list, allowable acronyms list etc.
3) Develop rules for standard name: when standard name must be used and when it is not required.
4) Establish priorities for data naming: areas of priority include data that would be shared, community data, created or used by multiple organization, public data, data from current systems development or integration projects, data involved in current modeling efforts.
All names should be clear in proper format and brief it should be context free and should be stated as a single concepts all abbreviations and acronyms should be avoided unless absolutely necessary.
Other than establishing an effective naming program the data administration must also establish policies, procedures, guidelines, and standards for the planning, operation, and assessment of the Data Administration program. The data administration must Support data sharing and reuse within the organization, with other government agencies and private sector organizations, and with individuals, as appropriate; it should Recommend tools and techniques within the Data Administration program to ensure consistency and interoperability of information; it should also maintain a clear timeframe to provide education to staff on the principles, methods and techniques to achieve a shared data environment.
It should Identify planning, reporting, and resource requirements for effective Data Administration; and establish model-based methods to identify and document information needs, standardize data for maximum data-sharing capability; and Comply with organizational and national standards as appropriate before creating unique standards (e.g., postal code formats).
Assessment
There are numerous benefits of creating an effective naming standard. Some of the business benefits that we can utilize by using a good naming program are
1. Reduce cost associated with data creation.
2. Improved ability to meet customer needs
3. Reduce redundancy and better reliability
4. Ease of access for business users
5. Improved ability to develop quality data warehouses, data repository etc
By using proper naming standards the data administration can protect and control resources, resolve dispute that may arise when the data are centralized and shared among users and also the security of the system can increase drastically. By establishing policies, procedures, guidelines, and standards for the planning, operation, and assessment of the Data Administration program the data administrator can structure the organization to promote good data management and data quality and establish processes to maximize data quality and utility. Organization can design and maintain data, systems, and reporting mechanisms in a manner that promotes good data management they can develop tools that promote and foster good data management and data quality. They can comply with regulatory and contractual requirements when data is sourced, stored, and used.
A growing number of tools and techniques can be used to support data-management and data-quality. These include metadata repositories, data dictionaries, data models, data and process flows, master data management (MDM), detailed specifications, audits and controls, data and text mining, and encryption.
Conclusion and recommendation
If the reliability, availability, or timeliness of the data a company uses or produces is in jeopardy or doubt, the value of the data erodes. Less than optimal operational decisions can result and an organization may delay or misdirect corporate initiatives, personnel and customer dissatisfaction and frustration can arise. In this light, reestablishing the credibility of a company’s data assets can be costly
On the upside, with the potential for new and enhanced uses of data, the value of data assets can appreciate markedly. To continue to grow, prosper, and maintain a competitive advantage, a company will need more data of increased variety and sophistication. Maintaining the quality of that new data will require even more tools, as well as different data-management and control expertise hence creating a proper naming standard and data administration will become more important.

Glossary
DBA Database administrator
DWA Data warehouse administrator
e-DBA Database for web based application

Bibliography
(Information policy office, 1995)
Jeffry hoffer, M. b. (2007). Modern database management.

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