5 Popular Data Governance Certification & Training in 2024

Updated February 26th, 2024

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So you’ve made the decision to initiate effective data governance at your organization. Fantastic! Now, it’s time to ask yourself: Does it make sense for my team members to obtain data governance training and certification? Is this a necessary next step in data governance maturity, and does it have measurable benefits?
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Well, let’s talk about it. In this article, we’ll identify popular data governance certification programs, describe the benefits of obtaining certification, and provide information you can use to determine which program (if any) is right for you or your team.

Some of the more popular data governance certification programs include:

  1. ICCP Certified Data Governance Professional
  2. DAMA Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP)
  3. SAP Certified Application Associate – SAP Master Data Governance
  4. Dataversity Data Governance Online Training
  5. Indiana University Enterprise Data Management

Table of contents #

  1. Popular data governance certifications in 2024
  2. 1. Certified Data Governance Professional
  3. 2. DAMA Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP)
  4. 3. SAP Certified Application Associate – SAP Master Data Governance
  5. 4. Data Governance Online Training
  6. 5. Enterprise Data Management
  7. Benefits of data governance certification
  8. How to choose the best one?
  9. Related reads

1. Certified Data Governance Professional #

Training provider: Institute for Certification of Computing Professionals (ICCP)

Eligibility: 900 hours of direct data governance and / data stewardship experience. Or 1400 hours of direct data governance and data stewardship experience to be completed after passing the course examination.

Duration: 4-day workshop on data governance and stewardship and written assessment passed at 70% or higher to receive Executive Management level certification.

Fees: $35 to $125 annual membership fee

Additional notes: The Principal, Mastery, Associate/Practitioner, and Foundation level certifications require only a 90-minute exam, no workshop.

Know more about DGSP data governance certification here →

2. DAMA Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP) #

Training provider: Data Management Association International (DAMA)

Eligibility: At least six months of industry experience. The master level requires at least ten years of industry experience and participants must submit a CV for consideration.

Duration: 90-minute exam

Fees: Master evidence assessments incur a $50 administration cost

Additional notes: The program has four levels (Associate, Practitioner, Master, and Fellow). Individuals may remain at any level without pressure to advance.

Know more about DAMA CDMP data governance certification here →

3. SAP Certified Application Associate – SAP Master Data Governance #

Training provider: SAP Training

Eligibility: No requirements

Duration: 3 hours

Fees: $224 - $550

Additional notes: SAP recommends combining education courses and hands-on experience to prepare for your certification exam.

Know more about SAP data governance certification here →

4. Data Governance Online Training #

Training provider: Dataversity

Eligibility: No requirements

Duration: self-paced

Fees: $99 - $3,900

Additional notes: Dataversity offers a range of courses in data governance. A Certificate of Completion is provided at the end of courses and learning plans.

Know more about Dataversity data governance certification here →

5. Enterprise Data Management #

Training provider: Indiana University

Eligibility: No requirements

Duration: 12 weeks

Fees: free - $499 (optional upgrade available)

Additional notes: One session is available. Begins on August 23, 2022.

Know more about EDM data governance certification here →

Of course, there are many additional certification options you should look into, but this list should give you a good start. But why should a data professional invest the time and money for certification in the first place?

Benefits of data governance certification #

Individuals and teams that obtain their data governance certification can reap a number of professional benefits. Among these are wider career opportunities, higher salaries, the chance for promotions, and greater job authority. But the benefits go beyond these career advantages.

Certification validates that an individual understands the fundamentals and intricacies of data governance. They are capable of implementing the best practices of data governance at their organization, allowing them to perform better stewardship, meet regulatory compliance, and effectuate the type of collaboration among data teams that leads to innovation.

Furthermore, certified team members, just by adding the certification to their CV or LinkedIn profile, will evangelize the concept of data governance for everyone. This creates a positive feedback loop where more people learn about data governance, pursue their own certifications, and implement their own programs at their organization. This leads to greater data governance adoption in general.

Data governance In action - A Demo of Atlan


Data governance certification: How to choose the best one? #

Now that you understand which data governance certifications are available, you may be having trouble choosing which to pursue. Here’s a framework you can use to help narrow down your options.

  • Identify your primary objectives and rank them in order of importance.
  • Determine whether a particular program will help you meet these objectives.
  • Calculate how much you’re willing to spend on a program. Remove any that fall out of your budget. Fortunately, some certifications are free.
  • Consider how much time you’re willing to devote to a certification. Remove any that require you to spend more time.
  • If you’re selecting a program for your team, run through this mental exercise with your organization and team members in mind.

Once you complete this assessment, you’ll have clarity into which program (if any) is best to help you achieve your professional and organizational goals. Refer back to our data governance post to delve further into topics around data governance.

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