Defining data operations

Data operations are often left unappreciated in a data organization. I think of data operations like electricity: it may not be appreciated until you don’t have it. Data operations teams are often the glue that keeps things moving within a company, and depending on the way your company operates, the size and scale of the team may vary greatly. Data Operations (DataOps) is typically a set of practices, processes, and technologies that enable an integrated and focused perspective on data using automation and manual processes to improve the quality, speed, and collaboration of data across an organization. Data operations is a fairly evolving field, which includes both practitioner perspectives as well as an influx of vendors. Because companies are increasingly relying on data for decisions and general organizational operations, data operations is becoming a more essential discipline with additional focus.

Data operations often sit in the middle of various...