Implementing Data Mesh

Chapter 11. Establishing Data Mesh Governance

In Chapter 9, we highlighted that there is a fundamental difference between data and data products: data requires an external agent to make the data usable, and data products have an embedded “agent” (the data product gateway introduced in Chapter 4)—their discoverability, and observability, supported by a self-serve capability—that allows them to interact on their own. We have suggested that this capability makes data products “dynamic.”

Dynamic data products are equipped with a self-serve capability, including interfaces for discovery, observability, and control. These interfaces provide capabilities that aid in governance of Data Mesh and data products. In this chapter, we will extend this self-serve capability with an additional “certification” interface that makes the data-governance process much more agile.

Data Governance

Data governance is responsible for defining and enforcing data policies across an organization. It addresses many topics, typically implemented as policies, that include (but are definitely not limited to):

• Data privacy and security

• Data provenance and lineage

• Data service levels and quality

• Data pricing and licensing

Data governance is a set of processes, roles and responsibilities, and policies that ensure the effective, efficient, and safe use of information within an organization in a fashion that adheres to the organizational strategy, goals, and objectives.

The implementation of data governance ...