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 $5.7 billion by 2025. As companies aim to become more and more data driven, the demand for data governance is increasing, as is the need for state-of-the art data governance programs.
So, 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 bosses - there are very few 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 the organization's 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 polish data governance in your organization;
- You want to stop wasting time on theoretical material, on scattered information and guidance, or on what's not working;
- You feel that you need more practical knowledge to successfully implement a data governance program.
It's time to learn from an award-winning data governance practitioner that 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."

Mahesh Rayappa Gundakalle
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
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
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)
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 in Data Governance.
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.


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
Excellent!
This training course is excellent, and providing a valuable insights and practical advice in Data Governance.

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.

Great comprehensive course
I enjoyed this comprehensive course on data governance and creating a business glossary.

Super Awesome Course by a DG Genuis!
Super Awesome! I recommend it to anyone.

An excellent foundation for Data Governance
If your organisation is ready to get serious about Data Governance, but doesn't have the knowledge of how to start implementing it then this is the course for 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!

Brilliant
The course was very detailed. I can practically implement Data Government from the insightful knowledge i derived from here.

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.

Best course for Data Governance
Hands down, the best course for 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.

A down to Earth training covering the real life obstacles
I loved this course, because it is different than the theoretical courses that assume all would go okay according to the plan. George did a wonderful work explaining what can go wrong and why in every step, with the reasons and actions to take. I wish there were a few use cases or examples of datasets showing how the assessment or implementation can be done, but overall I am very satisfied and would recommend it to everyone. In addition to being a data governance training, this program also covers project management and change management.

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.

Simply Amazing!
This practical Data Governance course is simply amazing. The content is so clear, not tiring and examples help you better understand it. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who has a role in data governance and data management.

Very helpful indeed!
Very helpful and hands on oriented

Totally worth it!
I really enjoyed the course and it gave me lots of thoughts and materials to work the data gov in my organization. It was totally worth it and excellently presented. Thanks!

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.

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!

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!

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

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

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

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

Comprehensive Data Governance Overview
This course was great to get an understanding of data governance as my organization starts to implement its own program. The length is good and the examples provided helped reinforce the concepts. Thanks!

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.

Very good
Very good! Learned a lot!.
Impressed!
I was skeptical at first because there isn't a lot of content regarding data governance that is actually truly beneficial for individuals looking for practical knowledge in that relatively controversy field. George is one of those instructors who can deliver content in a way that it is understandable, straight to the point, and yes... PRACTICAL. Templates and all are just great to have and complement the content 100%. Thank you George, can't wait for you to release other relevant course for the data governance professionals looking to expend their knowledge.

This was excellent!
I thought this was excellent. What I need to is further understand the number of FTE to standup a Data Governance office

A really great course
Very balanced and thoughtful course on Data Governance. George and LightsOnData really did a great job covering all of the topic areas need for Data Governance. More and more companies and clients are looking to expand their Data Governance programs as the importance of quality well defined and governed data is powering everything in their business including AI.

Clear, concise, and so well delivered!
Thank you so much for this brilliant course! My organization is just starting a Data Governance program (literally just scratching the surface!) and the whole concept is very overwhelming.
Your course was clear, concise, and so well delivered! I feel like I have a great starting point and really good first steps.
Thank you for all of your resources (this course, YouTube, the podcast, etc.). This information is invaluable!

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.

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.

Great course!
Simply put, it was GREAT! 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.

Great course!
Great course! I enjoyed the pace and the flow of information was on point. Thank you!

Practical, Engaging and Useful
I love the practicality of this course. The knowledge, tools and tips shared came in handy in my data governance role. The short videos and engaging delivery made it easy to progress through the course while juggling other responsibilities. Also, the layout of content allowed me to easily jump into specific topics when I needed insight on those. I would certainly recommend the course to newcomers to data governance who have to hit the ground running.

An awesome course
It's an awesome course with clear material and easy to understand. Much appreciated you helping me building data governance in my organization.

Rare and valuable course!
This is the first course I found on Data Governance that I really understood and could imagine myself implementing it while viewing the videos. Other courses only give you disorganized information that you don't know how to use, but this one is certainly a must have. Thanks George!

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

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!

So insightful!
The course has really broaden my knowledge about implementing Data Governance. George has really done well in the course. God bless you for this, I think my money did not equate what I got from this course.

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.

10 out of 10!
10/10 course! I'd recommend this for those starting out in Data Governance or wanting a refresher. The templates are a bonus.

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.

I recommend this course to others
To be honest, I have watched a lot of videos on YouTube and read many articles, but still was still feeling something is missing. I have learned plenty things from this awesome course, since the stuff being taught is extremely useful for people who have heard and at least have high level understanding about Data Governance Program/Project.

Great Course on Data Governance
Thank you for preparing great course about data governance such as this one. I have learned a lot and enjoyed it very much too.

Great practical course!
Thank you for this course, I found it very helpful as it is about HOW to implement data governance, with a lot of examples. Thanks George!

A must-take course
A must-take and very well-organized course that everyone in Data Governance should take.

Excellent course highly recommended
Excellent course highly recommended. From the first session George captivates by his teaching ability. His shared experience adds value to the course. I like this analogy, it's like running a 10K marathon with a great coach. Thank you George for the great course that has helped me a lot and I am already applying these concepts at work.

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 foundation
I was basically thrown into a position where my team was given the task of helping our client at the VA to stand up data governance at the enterprise level. You can read as many books as you want, pass as many certification exams, etc, but that by no means makes you an expert. Having someone break down things that could work, things that have caused failure, and learning points put a good spin on the information.

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.
