Data Management is a subject which deals with the management of information in an organization as a powerful tool for analysis and decision-making. It encompasses a wide range of processes that ensures that all information is available whenever needed and can be trusted to drive the actions.

Effective Data Management allows organizations to make their data an asset of strategic importance, regardless of its location within the company. It gives better security, reliability and visibility, while also allowing for scalability. It facilitates faster, more accurate and reliable analytics that provide competitive advantages.

Organizations are dealing with unprecedented volumes and varieties of data that offer valuable new insights into the nature of their business, but only if the data is supervised and trusted. Poor data management can be costly and could undermine the trust of those who rely on the data.

The explosion of personal data sources has created a new set of problems for compliance with consumer protection laws like the GDPR and California Consumer Privacy Act. Data management processes can help in ensuring that individuals are aware at the time of data collection and that they are in control over their own personal data and that systems can directory easily meet erasure and portability requirements.

Data management requires a team with specific skills and responsibilities. They include data architects, analysts and database developers, to data stewards. In larger companies the team is often comprised of quality engineers and data engineers who are working on data pipelines to support business analytics.