Data Governance Course & Certification
Improve Your Know-How on Practical Data Governance
Learn how to implement a data governance program from scratch or improve the one you have.
Templates included!
Take advantage of the 10+ templates available to accelerate your data governance efforts.
Build up your practical knowledge and maximize your success
Implementing data governance can sometimes seem like you're trying to boil the ocean. How can you be successful at it?
Data governance is becoming a hotter topic by the hour. BusinessWire estimates its market to reach $15.1 billion by 2030. As companies aim to become more data-driven and prepare for the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI), the demand for scalable and successful data governance programs is skyrocketing.
AI is revolutionizing industries, but its success is entirely dependent on high-quality, trusted, and well-governed data. Without a strong data governance foundation, AI systems and anything based on data, for that matter, can fall victim to poor data quality, bias, and compliance issues, hindering their potential and jeopardizing trust.
As a result, more and more professionals, such as yourself, want to better understand data governance and how they could implement it in their organization. But how can they learn it? How do YOU learn it?
Other than learning on the job - which is time-consuming, sometimes nerve-wracking and not necessarily earning trust from our peers and leaders - there are very few good resources out there for current or future data governance professionals. In addition, most of the content and courses to be found are theoretical, hard to follow, as well as not actionable, nor practical.
But as organizations increasingly rely on AI and data-driven decision-making, their need and desire for you to implement a functional, sustainable, highly adopted and praised data governance program, has become unavoidable and imperative
If:
- You need a clear plan on how to effectively implement, improve and refine data governance in your organization;
- You want to stop wasting time on theoretical material, scattered information and guidance, or on what's not working;
- You feel you need more practical knowledge to successfully implement a data governance program...
It's time to learn from an award-winning data governance practitioner who can provide you with the practical steps, best practices, and templates to put together and implement a successful data governance program.
Practical Data Governance: Implementation
The purpose of this course is to build your practical knowledge and maximize your success as a current or future data governance professional. The lessons and materials provided will be instrumental in your planning and implementation of a data governance program. You will learn the practical steps, best practices, and templates to put together and implement your data governance program from scratch or improve the one you have.
Templates included!
Take advantage of the 10+ templates available to accelerate your data governance efforts.
Here’s What You’ll Get When You Sign Up
The Practical Data Governance: Implementation course provides you with the skills, the know-how and the templates to help you create a successful data governance program that follows best practices.
Templates
In addition to teaching you how you to best implement a data governance program, the course contains valuable templates, nowhere else to be found, that cover things such as the scope document, terms of reference, metrics scorecard, data policies, data standards, communication plan, data governance handbook, and more.
Some even have pre-filled versions. It doesn't get easier than this.
Award-Winning Implementations
The lessons draw from award-winning implementations of data governance programs, but also from the experience, mistakes and best practices made by data governance professionals.
Practical Takeaways
The lessons provide you with practical takeaways, advice and examples from real-life data governance implementations. All you need to do is apply these learnings to your specific needs.
On-Demand Learning
The course has about 4 hours of video content, plus written content, extra resources and templates. As always, you can take the course at your own time and pace. Remember that you'll have unlimited access to existing and future content and any upcoming updates.
Here’s what people are saying about course

Gabriel Reyes
Data Steward
Best data governance course out there
"This is a highly engaging course with a lot of practical takeaways. The templates alone are worth the investment, but the lessons, examples, and advice that George provides are invaluable.
In my pursuit of becoming a better data governance professional I've taken other courses, but this is by far the best data governance course out there."

Jessie Hundal
Senior Programmer Analyst
Very detail-oriented & easy to follow
"Very detail-oriented, easy to follow step by step instructions/content with corresponding templates for individuals ready to hit the ground running on their Data Governance journey.
Thank you for offering a practical course to learn and implement data governance."

Rachel McCranor
Reporting and Data Management Officer
AMAZING!
"I loved the amount of knowledge this course gave me. The delivery was so easy to comprehend and follow along. The short videos for each module was perfect for segmenting each topic and allowed me to take noted in between.
I can't wait to apply what I've learned and add more value to the organization I work for."
What's covered in the Practical Data Governance: Implementation course?
There are 8 modules, with a mix of video lessons, written content, real-life examples, templates, and extra resources to help you create and implement a successful data governance program.
The Basic Concepts
What to Expect
What is Data Governance
The Benefits of Data Governance
Pre-Implementation Steps
Performing Initial Assessment
4
Understanding the Drivers
How to do an Ad-Hoc Assessment
Data Sources Inventory and Data Flow (templates included)
Data Governance Maturity Model
Getting Buy-In
2
Creating the Business Case
Choosing and Securing a Sponsor
Setup the Data Governance Program
Program Setup Steps
6
Data Governance Scope Document (template included)
Data Governance Guiding Principles
Focusing Your Program the Right Way
Building a Data Domain Model (template included)
Data Governance Organizational Framework
Identifying and Assigning Data Stewards
Data Governance Council
4
Data Governance Council’s Responsibilities
Who to Include in the Data Governance Council
Creating the Terms of Reference (template included)
Data Governance Council Best Practices & Advice (template included)
Develop Metrics & KPIs
Metrics: Intro
Progress Metrics
Impact Metrics
Data Governance Scorecard (template included)
Develop Data Policies, Standards, and Processes/Workflows
Data Concepts for Data Governance
Data Policies
How to Write a Data Policy (template included)
Data Standards and Rules (template included)
Processes and Workflows (template included)
Data Classification
Select and Deploy Tools
Selecting a Data Governance Tool
Business Glossary
Data Dictionary
Data Catalog
Manage Change
Change Management Models
Communication Plan (template included)
Data Governance Handbook (template included)
Change Management Best Practices
BONUS
30/60/90 Day Plan for Data Governance (BONUS)
GenAI Prompts for Data Governance (BONUS)
How to Manage Different Types of People (BONUS)
Receive Your Certificate
Bonus
You'll get so much more in this course!
Besides building your practical knowledge in the data governance profession and teaching you how to implement a data governance program you will also benefit from the following:
Certificate
At the end of the course you can opt for a certificate of completion.
Share it on your social media, add it to your resume, print and hang it on your wall for all to see that you are a skilled data governance professional.
Free Access to the Teacher
In each lesson you can post your questions to be answered directly by the teacher, as well as fellow practitioners/ students.
You can add in your comments and your own learnings, as well, to contribute to the data governance course community.
An Entire Bonus Course Module
Besides the current lessons that will provide you with the step-by-step how-to and know-how to implement a data governance program, there is an entire bonus course module available with content to enhance your skills as a data governance professional.
About George Firican,
the Course Teacher
George is a passionate advocate for the importance of data, a frequent conference speaker and a YouTuber, being ranked among Top 5 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Big Data, Digital Disruption, Top 15 on Innovation and LinkedIn Top Voice.
His innovative approach to addressing data challenges received international recognition through award-winning program and project implementations in data governance, data quality, business intelligence and data analytics.
George advises customer organizations on how to treat data as an asset, and shares his practical takeaways on social media, at conferences, and various industry sites and publications.
George has been a data professional for over 15 years. One of his passions is to create informative, practical and engaging educational content to share with individuals such as yourself, and help organizations get more visibility on social media. George is the proud founder of LightsOnData.com and co-host of the Lights On Data Show podcast.


Here’s what people are saying about the course teacher

Luca de Joanna
Senior Business Data Lead
Recommend George's work in the data governance space
I'm really pleased and honored to recommend George's work in the data governance space.
Every article and video from George manages to perfectly describe and explain different areas in data governance and data intelligence, from master data to metadata management, from data quality to visualization, from business glossary to the data dictionary. All this with the business in mind, and not just as a technical exercise.
Thanks to George's work, regularly delivered to the public, I've been able to learn a lot and benefit from it in my daily job. [...]

Piotr Kononow
CEO
Professional educator on data management topics
I recommend George if you want a professional educator on data management topics.
But, don’t take my word for it – check out his impressive collection on educational Lights on Data videos on YouTube. [...]

Linda Davis
Metadata Governance Coordinator
Any student would be lucky to have him as an instructor
George is the type of person who is very professional and knowledgeable and, at the same time, friendly, easy-going and fun to be around. Any student would be lucky to have him as an instructor.
I'm looking forward to seeing him again at conferences, because his presentations are always such an eye-candy and full of no-fluff, practical content. [...]
Why this course is a great option for you
This online course is the smartest, most cost effective, and time saving option of learning how to implement a data governance program. It is developed to be a 1-stop-shop that includes:
- Real-life examples, relevant knowledge and best practices on implementing data governance
- Practical templates you’ll be able to use and adapt easily and right away to your own needs
- An engaging and fun learning experience with George Firican, your friendly data guy, who is great at turning dry knowledge into digestible and enjoyable bites
Plus this online course is the better way of learning:
- At your own pace
- From the comfort of your home or office, or anywhere you want to (it's mobile friendly, too)
- With unlimited access to the material
What would be the other options?
- Reinventing the wheel: This is probably the longest and hardest route to take as there will be quite a bit of trial and error. It’s time, money and energy consuming. Plus you can lose trust from your organization if this is not done right the first time around.
- Getting consulting services: The equivalent of consulting services hours (~ 4 hrs) would cost you anywhere between $750 to $2,100 or more. You probably would still have follow-up questions and if you wanted to revisit your learning, you'll need to book more hours.
- Learning from other sources: I think it's always good to learn from multiple sources, but if you've taken other data governance or data management courses then you know that they focus more on the theory than on the practical takeaways. Not to mention that you won't benefit from the templates available in this course.
- Hiring someone to setup your data governance program: It’s the most expensive approach and far from being fail proof, because ultimately no one knows the organization as you do. Additionally, you lose the business knowledge and control and you might be left with the challenge of maintaining something that wasn't built according to best practices. Not to mention that this engagement would end up costing you at least $50,000.
Practical Data Governance: Implementation Course
$
499
US
Popular
3 COURSE MEGA BUNDLE
Practical Data Governance: Implementation Course +
Business Glossary Course +
Data Governance Maturity Models Course
$797
US
Regular Price: $997
2 COURSE BUNDLE
Practical Data Governance: Implementation Course +
Business Glossary Course
OR
Practical Data Governance: Implementation Course +
Data Governance Maturity Models Course
$
697
US
Regular Price: $748
or
Part of Bundle
PRACTICAL DATA GOVERNANCE: IMPLEMENTATION
Available now at a great price
$499
US
Templates included!
Take advantage of the 10+ templates available to accelerate your data governance efforts.

100% Satisfaction Guarantee
If you've completed less than 25% of the Practical Data Governance: Implementation course and you don’t like it for any reason, feel it wasn’t worth your investment, or simply want a refund for no reason at all, we've got you covered. Purchase today and you can request a refund anytime within the next 30 days. Please note that refunds will only be provided if you have completed less than 25% of this course content. Our support team will process your refund, no questions asked.
Don’t wait! Look at what past students have to say about this course
This course was great
This course was great. We have been working to stand up a strong Data Governance Process and this course provided great guidance for areas to concentrate on.

Informative & Practical
The course was both informative and practical. As a leader in data and analytics, I found the content directly applicable to my work, enhancing our organizational strategies. The expertise of the instructors was invaluable, and the course has significantly contributed to my professional development. Highly recommended for those looking to advance in this field.

A great and very comprehensive course
Thank you, George - this was a great and very comprehensive course!

Highly Recommend, Easy to understand, Excellent.
This course designed to provide me the knowledge and skills necessary to manage and protect data effectively.
It enables me with the tools and techniques to analyze and interpret data effectively, leading to more informed and strategic business decisions.

I recommend it 100%
This is a good course to learn in a structured method with very crisp and clear and simple explanations of terms concepts along with very useful templates.
I recommend it 100% to anyone wants to start their data governance journey. Thank you so much for designing the course so well.

Highly recommended!
Great course!
Good coaching to implement a step-by-step and pragmatic approach. Highly recommended!

Great Practical Information!
Great practical information! The templates really make a difference.

Excellent Course
This course on data governance is highly practical. Although I have many years of experience as a data governance analyst, I didn’t find it highly relatable but still see it as a valuable reference for my daily tasks. Thank you, George, for putting this course together. I especially appreciate the concise, video-based delivery style. Thank you!

I've gained so much knowledge
During this course I have gained much knowledge about Data Governance and I as a part of team member for project this was very useful and documents provided was really helpful. Overall I am happy!

High Quality Course For Data Governance Implementation Starter
I recommend this course for all fellow Data Governance officer for help you starting your Data Governance program. It's really practical! The templates made my day!

The perfect course!
This was the perfect course for understanding what Data Governance is and what it is not in a one stop shop. The pace was perfect and the style of videos with supporting slides and at times supporting documents made it extremely easy to follow. This was a perfect course in my opinion.

Take this course!
I'm not going to lie; the data is a bit dry, but this is data governance. However, the material was presented in an organized and thoughtful way. I've asked others in my company who will be involved with our data governance program to take this course. I will definitely be using the templates as guides to build out my company's data governance program.

Great Foundational Knowledge
This was an excellent course. It was delivered in small, manageable video segments that allowed for breaks and/or contemplation. The templates were exceptional and ideal since they are difficult to find otherwise. I would recommend the 3-course bundle for anyone looking to implement an enterprise-wide data governance program.

Best data governance course out there
This is a highly engaging course with a lot of practical takeaways. The templates alone are worth the investment, but the lessons, examples, and advice that George provides are invaluable.
In my pursuit of becoming a better data governance professional I've taken other courses, but this is by far the best data governance course out there.

Very Informative
Thank you for this course. It was very informative.

Very Good
Great course! Thank you for it.

Very enjoyable and informative course on implementing Data Governance with great templates
I really enjoyed the course, so much really useful information for the practical implementation of Data Governance, in particular really great templates. I also really like the emphasis on the people side, change management and how to manage different types of people.

Thank you

A gift from the heavens
In life, the old saying goes "if its too good to be true, its not", but in the case of this course, it's all good and its all true. Thank you for having the ambition to make such a course and thank you for sharing with others.

A Remarkable and Practical Data Governance Training Experience
Having participated in numerous data governance trainings over the years, I can confidently say that this course ranks among the very best I've encountered. What sets this training apart is its exceptionally practical approach. The course provides ample tools and resources that are immediately applicable, making the complex world of data governance accessible and manageable.
The instructor plays a significant role in this positive experience. He does not not only take the time to address each question but also ensure that answers are thorough and meaningful. This level of engagement and seriousness in addressing inquiries is something I deeply appreciate, as it significantly enhances the learning process.
Another highlight of this course is the provision of practical templates. These resources are a game-changer, offering concrete examples and guidelines that can be directly applied to real-world data governance challenges. It's clear that a lot of thought and expertise went into the development of these materials, and they truly elevate the overall quality of the training.
Accessibility is another strong point of this training. The course is designed to be low-threshold, catering to both beginners and those with more experience in the field. This inclusivity, coupled with the instructor's sympathetic demeanor, creates a welcoming and supportive learning environment.
In summary, this data governance training is exceptional for its practicality, comprehensive support materials, and the instructor's attentive and approachable manner. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to deepen their understanding and skills in data governance.

AMAZING!
I loved the amount of knowledge this course gave me. The delivery was so easy to comprehend and follow along. The short videos for each module was perfect for segmenting each topic and allowed me to take notes in between.
I can't wait to apply what I've learned and add more value to the organisation I work for.

Useful templates
It was a compact course with useful templates. It nice that you can follow it on your time and rhythm.

10/10 would recommend
This course has provided me with an excellent basis of data governance understanding and start, to implement a data governance program within my own company using the tools provided. The videos were actively engaging and the course/video length was a perfect length to understand the topics presented without losing interest by being too long. The course breadth was extensive and feel I have a holistic view of data governance as a topic. The examples/templates were particularly great, and I'll be using them to help build our own data governance program. I'd recommend this course to anyone wanting the complete data governance picture and a practical start to implementing their own data governance program. Thank you George!

Everyone should take this course
Great concept, simple but detailed enough, templates are very useful, lots of new things for me. Maybe you could create something like time plan for implementation with workshops, descriptions, participants and deliverables from workshops to have a clear picture about actual work needs to be done, phases, recommended duration all in one place. From my point of view, everyone who is involved in any kind of data activity should take this course, it will definitely help figure out why Data Governance program is important, and why organizations need it.
Thank you so much.
Daniel

Concise, useful, and easy to grasp
I actually learned more practical, clear to apply concepts, hands-on tools than when I read the DAMA DMBOK2. This course is an accelerator on actualizing the benefits of having Data Governance in the organization. In my first two weeks in my new role as a Data Management Executive, I've used the course's basic concepts, metrics & KPIs, and tools deployment & selection lessons in shaping our roadmap towards becoming an insight-driven organization. Because of this, our top management now fully supports our key data initiatives e.g. Single Source of Truth, DM Fundamentals ( Enterprise Business Glossary and Data Catalog, Data Quality Management).
At first, I wasn’t sure that an online course would guide me well enough to produce tangible results in my first dip into Data Governance, but George really knows his stuff! The video tutorials and downloadable templates are concise, useful, and easy to grasp. Please keep producing such great content to help us data professionals! Thank you!

Excellent
Simply excellent.

A wonderful course
This course is wonderful for those who want to understand the concepts and terminologies of Data Governance and the practical steps and best practices.

Great Course
This course has been very helpful to me in my journey as a data governance professional! Thank you!

Brilliant strcuture, exceptional delivery and indeed a practical implementation!
The course surpassed my expectations and certain it will yours, its not a promise but an evidenced based fact. True to its title, the course is practical and refreshingly unconventional, yet remains easy to follow and understand. I recommend that prospective students have some foundational or theoretical knowledge beforehand. If that describes you and you're ready to get on board and not afraid to get your hands dirty, don't hesitate... join the family at LightsOnData! Captain George will blow your mind!!

Very in depth knowledge
This course provides a very in depth knowledge on data governance and all topics are covered in detail related to data governance.

I wish I had found this course earlier
George has achived to make simple what it is complex and to put into words what I have struggled to express for years.
The course is full of data-related, leadership and communication knowledge which is paramount in any Data Governance Program.
If I had found this course when I started the journey, we would have added 10 times more value to our businesses.

Excellent course
Excellent course, I really enjoyed the practical aspects of the course and it clearly helps to set up a direction in an organization willing to take Data Management practices to the next level. Thank you!

Excellent course!
The course was easy to understand, and the templates were very useful.

Great course
Great course! Fits in well and expands my consulting background in IT Security & Audit, Data Privacy and now Data Governance.

Well built and taught!
I found the course be well built and guided me through the different steps of data governance implementation. Working with data governance for years most of this knowledge was not new to me but I believe that the help in reenforcing this knowledge and expanding it to parts I didn't yet work with, will help me improve in future assignments. One thing I will use for sure is the templates, as most companies seem to lack good existing templates for data governance.

Best Course
Great content and a best course to get a clear understanding of the Data Governance program. The lessons and modules are clearly segregated and curated. George's explanation to these chapters are much clear to get a detailed view.

Clear and Fantastic
It was a clear and fantastic journey through the different areas of Data Governance. I liked the good examples making it easy to translate each chapter to our own company.

Very detailed course and helpful templates!
I have watched many of the LOD videos on Youtube. I feel that this course was great on the level of implementation.
In some cases, it did feel as though we were just receiving a number of bullet points as opposed to fully fleshed-out concepts, but this might be my view only because I am completely new to this field.
Very detailed course and helpful templates!

Practical
I like the straight to the point practical talk from experience. Would be great if one can increase the speed of the video.

Worth every penny
I am so glad that I found this course from George's videos on Youtube. The content was excellent and the perfect amount of time for each module. It allowed for me to fit it into my busy work and parenting schedule and get done in a timely manner. I like George's teaching style it makes the content easy to take in, understand and adopt. We are just starting our data governance program and I feel this course will help steer us in the right direction and course correct from where we currently are. I will definitely be recommending this course to my other coworkers and anyone else I know on a data governance journey.

Great Investment for Growth
We have started implementing the Data Governance Programme within a local bank and this course has helped tremendously in gaining knowledge to move this programme forward and growing it in the right direction.

A great course!
This course was thoughtfully designed to help people understand data governance from scratch. George used illustrations that make each concept stick to the brain. Overall, it is a great course.

5/5 stars!
I found this course is highly productive for the following reasons: less theory, more practical activities are more action-oriented develop the clarity; Understand your role and place; The answer is given for more clarification. Improvement: every program can be improved further. For example, add a case study end to end for the implementation. Discuss any industry for DG standard. Overall great course. Kamran

Great Foundation
Thank you for a great comprehensive foundation to the field of Data Governance, it was just what I needed to give me the foundational knowledge to build on.
I think this course gave a great foundation for Data Governance. Speaking from someone who albeit a programmer had no experience in the field of Data Governance.

Data Governance Champion!
Thanks so much! I rate your course a 10 out of 10! It was very informative, and I love the templates! I will be signing up for more courses.

From Clinical Research Data Expertise to Enterprise Governance: A course that bridges the gap
I found the course to have an excellent balance of breadth and depth, offering a comprehensive overview of data governance within a very manageable timeframe. I was able to complete it alongside my full‑time work over the course of a month, and the structure made it easy to progress steadily. The content was clear, practical, and immediately applicable, which aligns perfectly with the course’s promise. I especially appreciated the dynamic and accessible teaching style.
Thank you George for making the learning experience engaging and effective.

Fast, experience‑driven introduction to a complex Data Governance domain
I chose this course because I needed a fast, concise, and highly practical learning experience.
Data Governance may look simple on the surface, but in reality it is a highly complex domain, and navigating it effectively requires deep, hands‑on experience. The quality and depth of George’s real‑world expertise made this course especially valuable, turning abstract concepts into clear, usable insights.

Detailed yet simple
Amazing course that explains the intricate side of data governance in a very simple way.
Thank you!

Excellent course!!
Excellent course!

Incredible content
This was a great Data Governance course! Incredible content and well-delivered. The templates are so beneficial and incredible tools! Thank you!

Frequently Asked Questions
The course is geared towards the data or business professional who wants to learn how to implement a data governance program. Even though it assumes that you know the data governance theory, it will still provide a high level review of many concepts.
You might be a novice or you already have some years of experience in data governance, but you're looking to learn the industry best practices and fill in knowledge gaps and implement a praised data governance program.
YES! You can opt-in to receive a certificate that you can then share on social media, add to your resume, or print and showcase to your colleagues.
Everyone has a different learning pace and the great thing about having this delivered online is that it adjusts to your schedule and learning style. The course has over 4 hours of content in video format and it is split into short and comprehensive lessons.
The course will be available for you without limitation. You can go back and go through it as many times as you like, whenever you like.
The course is applicable to ANY industry. Even though some examples will draw from and showcase certain industries, the takeaways are relevant to all industries.
YES! The course was built to work on all tablets and phones. Or you can take it on your laptop or desktop machine. Layouts, scrolling or displays may vary depending on the device you have. All you need is an internet connection.
That will be very unlikely, but if, within 30 days of purchase, you find that the course doesn't meet your expectations, we are pleased to offer a refund. However, we kindly request that you meet the following condition:
To be eligible for a refund, please ensure you have completed less than 25% of the course content. We believe this gives you a fair opportunity to experience the course and its value.
If you meet this condition and wish to request a refund, simply reach out to our support team within the 30-day period. We will then process your refund.
If you have any other questions about the course, you can always send out an email to support[at]lightsondata.com
Once you're enrolled in the course, you will have access to the teacher to ask questions. Plus, on almost every lesson you can post questions relevant to that topic, that the teacher and/or other students will be able to answer.
Practical Data Governance: Implementation Course
$
499
US
Popular
3 COURSE MEGA BUNDLE
Practical Data Governance: Implementation Course +
Business Glossary Course +
Data Governance Maturity Models Course
$797
US
Regular Price: $997
2 COURSE BUNDLE
Practical Data Governance: Implementation Course +
Business Glossary Course
OR
Practical Data Governance: Implementation Course +
Data Governance Maturity Models Course
$
697
US
Regular Price: $748
or
part of bundle
PRACTICAL DATA GOVERNANCE: IMPLEMENTATION
Available now at a great price
$499
US
I created this course with you as a customer in mind
As we live in a fast-paced world, the requirements from us, the data professionals, are growing. Treating data as an asset is essential and we are the agents to a future where everyone should understand this. Unfortunately, we often don’t have the leverage we need to cope with these challenges and a lot of what we do is considered as new territory. I know how you feel!
I dedicate my work in general, and this course, in particular, to save you time, to make you knowledgeable, to feel in-charge and feel confident in your deliverables. Throughout this course you will learn step-by-step how to implement a successful data governance program, or significantly improve your existing one. You will be ready to use the newly acquired knowledge in all your data governance endeavors.
Thanks for doing what you do! I’ll see you on the other side.
