Best Practices

There are many ways to jumpstart adoption of a data catalog and help it achieve its promise. First, it’s imperative to start small with a well-defined use case and set of target users. To improve chances of success, meet with the users to understand their requirements for data and metadata. Armed with this knowledge, you can apply your resources to effectively deliver content that will convince skeptical users that a data catalog is an invaluable business resource. 

Second, it’s imperative to curate the content so users trust the output. Assign one or more data stewards to review, classify, and certify the content so it delivers quality information to business users. As part of this process, the data stewards should apply controls that determine which users can see which parts of the content. 

Third, gamify the data catalog. Set targets for adoption and award prizes to individuals who access and consume the most content. Then publicize the results along with success stories of how the data catalog helped business users improve the way they work with data.  Finally, measure and learn from results, adapt, and implement a new use case with a different set of target users, applying lessons learned.