Data Governance & Security
What is Data Governance?
Data governance is a framework that ensures data is accurate, reliable, and ready to support decision-making. It includes:
- Processes and structures that establish accountability for data assets
- Policies and procedures for data use, management, and security
- Collaboration across departments to maintain data integrity
- Standardized definitions for consistent usage
The Five Pillars of Data Governance
- Data Stewardship - Ensures accountability for managing institutional data
- Data Management - Focuses on processes and tools for handling data throughout its lifecycle
- Data Integrity & Consistency - Ensures accuracy and reliability in decision-making
- Data Standards & Policies - Sets rules and guidelines for data handling
- Data Security, Privacy, & Ethics - Protects sensitive data and guides ethical data practices
Data Classification
Data Classification Levels
| Level | Description | Examples |
| High |
Information whose loss, corruption, or unauthorized disclosure would cause severe personal, financial, or reputational harm to the institution, employees, or constituents. It may result in regulatory or government sanctions. |
Personal health information, financial data, SSNs. |
| Moderate |
Information whose loss, corruption, or unauthorized disclosure would cause limited personal, financial, or reputational harm. |
Internal communications, employee records without PII. |
| Low |
Information whose loss, corruption, or unauthorized disclosure would have minimal or no impact to the institution. |
Public web pages, published reports. |
| Prohibited |
Information that should not be stored or processed at Hamilton College. |
Contact Information Security for details. |
How to Determine Data Classification
- Identify the type of data
- Assess potential harm if compromised
- Consider regulatory requirements
- Apply appropriate classification level
- Implement required security controls
View full Data Classification Policy: https://www.hamilton.edu/offices/lits/rc/policies-data-classification
Data Cookbook Basics
What is Data Cookbook?
Hamilton College's business glossary and metadata repository called iData Data Cookbook is a tool accessed through web browsers that promotes clarity, transparency, and trust in data usage.
Key Components in Data Cookbook
Words or phrases referring to objects, people, business concepts, measurements, or metrics.
The "shopping list" for data - designs and information about reporting deliverables.
Groups of related specifications managed through Data Cookbook functionality.
Rules used to identify quality data.
Lists of codes defining valid values for data elements (gender, ethnicity, phone type, grades, etc.).
Places where data is stored (Colleague, Salesforce, Presence, Slate, etc.).
How to's
1. Navigate to the Data Cookbook web page: https://hamilton.datacookbook.com/
2. In the top right corner, enter the definition you are looking for in the Quick definition lookup...
3. On the menu bar, hover over Definitions and click Browse Definitions or choose one of the options outlined in the image below.
4. Search for a definition using any of the numbered options shown in the image below.
1. Navigate to the Data Cookbook web page: https://hamilton.datacookbook.com/
2. On the menu bar, hover over Specification and click Browse Specification or choose one of the options outlined in the image below.
3. Search for a specification using any of the numbered options shown in the image below.
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Last updated: April 4, 2025
Contact
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