The RMD framework emphasizes starting with foundational/core business entities (like Customer, Product, Account) to build a stable base of governed data. While marketing metrics are valuable, they are often derived from or dependent on these core entities. Governing the core data first ensures quality and consistency for all downstream uses, including marketing analytics. This approach aligns with the principle of establishing control at the source.

RMD advocates for a business-centric view of risk. The root cause of outdated information is typically a broken or non-existent business process (e.g., not collecting updates during customer service calls). Addressing the technical symptom (cleansing data) without fixing the process is temporary. The first step is to categorize the risk correctly at its origin—a business process failure—so the solution involves process owners and prevents recurrence.

RMD distinguishes between different dimensions of data quality. ‘Positive number’ is a syntactic/validity rule critical for system integrity. ‘Within 5% of benchmark’ is a business fitness-for-use rule related to timeliness, reasonableness, or contextual accuracy. They serve different purposes, may have different owners (IT vs. Pricing Manager), and require different monitoring mechanisms (automated validation vs. periodic business review).

RMD requires understanding the business use of data throughout its lifecycle. While legal provides a minimum, other business processes (e.g., detailed customer behavior analysis, fraud investigation, product returns) may require access to granular data beyond the legal minimum. The policy must be based on a comprehensive assessment of business needs, not just legal minimums or storage costs. The key question is about preserving business capability.

A core principle in RMD is maintaining appropriate control over data, especially sensitive data like customer information. Granting a third party rights to modify data breaks the chain of custody and integrity. It also creates significant risks: the vendor could use the data for unintended purposes, combine it in ways that create privacy violations, or alter it, making it unreliable for future use. Control and defined use are paramount in third-party sharing.

RMD treats metadata, including lineage, as a business asset. For the business, lineage is about trust, impact analysis, and compliance. It answers: ‘Where did this number come from?’ for regulators. It shows which reports will be affected if a source system field changes. It explains business rules applied during integration (e.g., how ‘revenue’ is calculated), making data more trustworthy for decision-makers. It goes far beyond a technical troubleshooting tool.

RMD defines clear role separations. The Business Steward (Finance) owns the *business* meaning and rules. The Custodian (typically IT) owns the *physical* management, storage, security, and operational availability of the data in the systems under their control. They are responsible for implementing the technical controls required by the steward’s policies. This separation ensures business control over meaning and IT accountability for its secure, reliable implementation.

RMD addresses data issues at the business level first. Inconsistency often stems from differing business needs or interpretations. The first step is not a technical fix but a business alignment. By bringing stakeholders together to agree on *why* they need the metric and *what* it should represent for the enterprise, you establish a shared business definition. This definition then drives the single, authoritative technical specification, ensuring the solution meets actual business needs.

RMD emphasizes that policies alone are ineffective. They must be operationalized through clear, actionable standards and assigned accountabilities. A policy says *what* must be done (encrypt PII). Standards define *how* it must be done (e.g., use AES-256). Roles define *who* does it (data stewards classify PII, system custodians implement encryption). Without this breakdown, the policy is open to interpretation and inconsistent application, creating risk and compliance gaps.

The RMD framework emphasizes starting with foundational/core business entities (like Customer, Product, Account) to build a stable base of governed data. While marketing metrics are valuable, they are often derived from or dependent on these core entities. Governing the core data first ensures quality and consistency for all downstream uses, including marketing analytics. This approach aligns with the principle of establishing control at the source.0