Enterprise data standards

Direction and guidance to support the effective management and use of data throughout its lifecycle while achieving department objectives.

Audience

All department staff.

Version Date Description of changes Approved by
V01.0.0 26/07/2024 Under the 2023 Policy and procedure review program, new policy document with consolidated instructions previously provided in the Enterprise Data policy. A more comprehensive review is currently being conducted. Chief Data Officer


About the policy

These procedures relate to the Enterprise management policy.

Secretary:

  • is the custodian of education data on behalf of the state (as the department’s Chief Executive Officer)
  • ensures data investments align with education outcomes and community expectations
  • establishes governance and accountability for data management, with effective monitoring and auditing measures.

Chief Data Officer:

  • drives data governance, management, analysis, and use throughout the data’s lifecycle
  • ensures data quality, accessibility, and capability aligns with NSW policies and frameworks to leverage data and achieve the department’s objectives.

Chief Information Officer:

  • manages and maintains department infrastructure and cloud services for enterprise data and metadata
  • ensures secure management of department data as per the Cyber security policy.

Executive, managers and principals:

  • ensure effective communication and implementation of this policy, associated standards and frameworks across all areas within their control.

Staff:

  • must comply with the Code of ethics and conduct procedure to manage and protect the data/information they work with daily. This includes the responsible use and management of confidential information, including copyright and intellectual property.

Other role-specific responsibilities

As well as the responsibilities described above, specific staff are assigned as owners and stewards of specific information assets. These roles include:

Data owners:

  • approve all policies and actions related to the data set, such as collection and quality plans, and decisions about data sharing.

Data stewards:

  • manage the dataset in accordance with all policies and implements decisions and plans.

Information Governance Group:

  • approves frameworks and guides developed under this policy
  • ensures the department's custodianship role is discharged effectively
  • provides overall governance for developing information management functions across the department.

Standards

1. Data sharing

The department is committed to the NSW Government’s strategic goal of maximising the potential of its significant data holdings through promoting data sharing and open data initiatives. The department’s default position is to share information where the needs and benefits of sharing are evident, and the risks are identified and managed.

Supporting information:

2. Data quality

Throughout the data life cycle, quality management is essential for evidence-based decision-making.

A data quality management framework is in place for managing all department information assets.

Supporting information:

3. Master and reference data management

Master data management controls the master data values to enable consistent, shared, contextual use across systems of the most accurate, timely and relevant version of the truth about essential department entities such as student, school, and employee.

Reference data management controls the defined values (also known as vocabularies) that are attributes of the entities. Examples of reference data are gender, language, school type and country of birth.

Supporting information:

Record-keeping requirements

Mandatory tools and templates

Supporting tools, resources and related information

Policy contact

Manager Data Governance, Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation
CESE.Corro@det.nsw.edu.au

The Chief Data Officer monitors the implementation of these standards, regularly reviews their contents to ensure relevance and accuracy, and updates them as needed.

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