top 10 data governance courses and training

If you’re looking to get a start in Data Governance, but you’re… well, not sure where to start! We’ve done some of the hard work for you by identifying the top ten Data Governance courses and training!

Not only that, but we’ve also summarized them and identified what sets them apart and what you’ll get out of it so that you can make the most informed choice about which course is right for you. So let's begin!

Practical Data Governance: Implementation

practical data governance implementation preview

Preview of online course Practical Data Governance: Implementation

What makes this data governance course great? This is one of those data governance courses I wish I had access to earlier in my career and so I've created this course with that in mind. You have unlimited access to take it at your own pace. It comes with:

  • Data governance TEMPLATES (blank and pre-filled) that you can download and adapt easily to your own needs
  • Real-life examples, relevant knowledge and best practices on implementing data governance
  • An engaging and fun learning experience with George Firican, who is great at turning dry knowledge into digestible and enjoyable bites!

Author: George Firican
Platform: LightsonData
Duration: 4 hours
Certificate of completion: Yes

What will I learn?
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 from scratch or improve the current data governance implementation.

There are 8 modules covering:

  1. The basic concepts
  2. How to do an assessment and get buy-in
  3. The steps to setup the program, the data governance organization framework, and data governance governing body
  4. Metrics and KPIs
  5. How to develop data policies, standards and processes
  6. Selecting and deploying data governance tools
  7. Managing change
  8. Bonus: a 30/60/90 day plan for data governance and more

Big Picture: Enterprise Data Management

enterprise data management

Enterprise data management online course

What makes this data management course great? By the end of the course, you will have a firm understanding of enterprise data management and why you need an enterprise data strategy, what the various disciplines do, and how to build a data-driven culture in your organization.

Author: Joseph Cline
Platform: Pluralsight
Duration: 1hr 12mins

What will I learn?
In this course, you’ll learn about the various disciplines of data management. First, you will discover what data governance is and how you might want to implement a governance program for your organization.

Next, you will cover data modelling and data architecture, including the topics of MDM and Blockchain technology. Then, you will explore the disciplines of database administration and data development. Finally, you will learn about business intelligence and reporting, big data and data engineering, and data science, including data analytics, machine learning, and data visualization.


Data Governance in Practice

data governance in practice online course

O'Reilly Media: Data governance in practice live course

What makes this data governance course great? This is a recording of a live event and there are some great exercises for you to participate in to further your learning and pick up some practical skills and practical experience!

Author: George Firican for Pearson
Platform: O'Reilly Media
Duration: 3 hours

What will I learn?

  • What data governance is and why it is important
  • What it takes to implement a data governance program from scratch and how to improve an existing one
  • Practical knowledge and best practices to successfully gain data governance adoption within any organization

And you’ll be able to:

  • Support the development of data governance artifacts such as metrics, policies, and standards, council’s terms of reference, and more
  • Assess your current state and set the right focus for your program
  • Play a key role in data governance, either as a stakeholder or a as a data governance professional

Learning Data Governance

learning data governance course preview

LinkedIn preview: Learning Data Governance course

What makes this data governance course great? It can be completed online or on mobile and it’s less than an hour long, providing a good foundation on Data Governance even for those who don’t have a lot of time! Plus it's free if you're already subscribed to LinkedIn Learning.

Author: Jonathan Reichental
Platform: LinkedIn Learning
Duration: 41mins

What will I learn?
Dr. Jonathan Reichental explains how to begin to implement a data governance program within any organization. Learn the components of data governance, its strategic value, the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders, and the overall steps that an organization needs to take to manage, monitor, and measure the data governance efforts.

Plus, get guidance on a set of next steps for building skills. As the data science domain grows, so does the demand for data governance expertise. Start here for your first look at this in-demand skill.


Information Governance Fundamentals

CIGO information governance fundamentals

CIGO: Information governance fundamentals

What makes this course great? This course can be taken part of the CIGO certification and it offers a solid introduction to information governance and it also covers the similarities and differences to data governance. 

Author: Robert Smallwood
Platform: IG Training
Duration: 7 hours

What will I learn?
It covers the foundational basics of information governance, its drivers, principles, as well as the differences between information governance, data governance, and IT governance. It also covers information risk planning, strategic planning and policy development. Then it goes into information governance for email, social, mobile, and cloud.


CIMP in Data Governance

CIMP in Data Governance

CIMP in Data Governance course preview

What makes this data governance course great? CIMP Data Governance Package offers education in data governance capped off with the Certified Information Management Professional (CIMP) designation in the Data Governance track. In the 20 hours that the course offers, there's a lot to cover.

Author: Maria Villar, Theresa Kushner, Dave Wells, John Ladley, Evan Levy
Platform: eLearningCurve
Duration: 20 hours

What will I learn?
This course includes five online training modules from CIMP’s curriculum, providing 20 hours of in-depth education from world-class instructors. Each course helps you prepare for a corresponding online CIMP exam. You are allowed three attempts to pass each exam and at the end you will achieve CIMP certification upon passing the fifth exam.

The modules include:

  • Data Governance Fundamentals
  • Data Stewardship Fundamentals
  • How to Deploy Data Governance: Part 1
  • How to Deploy Data Governance: Part 2
  • Data Privacy and Protection Fundamentals

Data Governance Mastery

data governance mastery course preview

Data Governance Mastery: Chapter 4 Preview

What makes this data governance course great? 19 chapters and a final exam to help you test all the knowledge you’ve gained. It also includes the metadata management mini course.

Author: Dr. David P. Marco
Platform: DataManagementU
Duration: Go at your own pace

What will I learn?
This course guides individuals in the study of all the best practices and concepts for implementing data governance. This purpose of this course is to help the learner become a master’s in data governance.

Learners that can successfully pass each chapter's short quiz and the courses final exam will earn certification as a Data Governance Master through Data Management University. This course also includes Data Management University’s entire Metadata Management mini course.


Data Governance - The Complete Course for Beginners

udemy data governance course for beginners preview

Udemy: Data governance course for beginners preview

What makes this data governance course great? You get lifetime access to the course and all future updates, including three hours of video lectures. This course can be a good introduction to data governance and its best practices.

Author: George Smarts
Platform: Udemy
Duration: 3.5 hours

What will I learn?

  • What is Data Governance
  • Most important things to keep in mind when implementing a Data Governance Program
  • What is a Data Governance Framework
  • How to implement a Data Governance in your company
  • Roles and Responsibilities in a Data Governance Framework
  • Best practices to keep in mind

IE Academy's Information Governance

ironmountain information governance

IE Academy's Information Governance course

What makes this course great? It’s a short, sharp, quick introduction to information and data governance for anyone who needs a solid foundation to build on. Plus it's free.

Author: Iron Mountain
Platform: Iron Mountain
Duration: 15 Minutes

What will I learn?
Learning Objectives:

  • Understand what information governance is, and how it differs from traditional records and information management, or RIM.
  • Recognize typical information management challenges leading to a need for Information Governance.
  • Identify functions and roles that are typically involved in an information governance program.

Data Governance Fundamentals

Udemy Data Governance Fundamentals course preview

Udemy: Data Governance Fundamentals course preview

What makes this data governance course great? Ben is a 20-year veteran in the data space and shares his hard-fought lessons over the years. This course is particularly useful for business leaders that have had issues with data consistency or that need to comply with industry regulations and ensure the security of their customer's data.

Author: Ben Sullins
Platform: Udemy
Duration: 1 hour

What will I learn?
In this course, you’ll be walked through a high-level overview of everything you need to know to implement a Data Governance program. Specifically:

  • How to structure your Data Governance program
  • How to implement your Data Governance program
  • How to develop your Data Governance Charter
  • The roles you'll need to identify and formalize
  • How to measure the return on your Data Governance program
  • How to review your Data Governance program and ensure it's reliability over time
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About the author 

George Firican

George Firican is the Director of Data Governance and Business Intelligence at the University of British Columbia, which is ranked among the top 20 public universities in the world. His passion for data led him towards award-winning program implementations in the data governance, data quality, and business intelligence fields. Due to his desire for continuous improvement and knowledge sharing, he founded LightsOnData, a website which offers free templates, definitions, best practices, articles and other useful resources to help with data governance and data management questions and challenges. He also has over twelve years of project management and business/technical analysis experience in the higher education, fundraising, software and web development, and e-commerce industries.

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