UW–Madison’s institutional data policy defines data domains and the Data Governance Council’s role in creating them. However, after recently establishing the new Health Information data domain, the council realized additional guidance was required. A new Institutional Data Domain Standard, approved by the council, provides the necessary clarity.
The new standard
The Institutional Data Domain Standard articulates guidance for establishing a new domain, including:
- All institutional data belongs to a domain.
- Each domain has a Data Trustee and Data Steward(s).
- Domains span the entire university to ensure consistent decisions and compliance.
- If data doesn’t fit a domain yet, it defaults to a temporary enterprise domain.
What is a data domain?
A data domain is a high-level functional category used to assign accountability and responsibility for institutional data. They help UW–Madison:
- Protect data quality, privacy, and security.
- Clarify roles and responsibilities.
- Use data more effectively across campus.
If you have questions about the standard or our data governance program, please contact us.