Who is responsible for defining lineage, usage, owners, and importance of metadata?

The correct answer is Data Stewards. Data stewards play a crucial role in managing the quality and integrity of data within an organization. They are responsible for defining and maintaining metadata, which includes lineage, usage, ownership, and importance. This involves understanding where the data comes from (lineage), how it is used in various processes (usage), who is responsible for managing it (owners), and its significance or impact on decision-making and operations (importance).

Data stewards act as the guardians of data assets, ensuring that all metadata is accurate and up-to-date. They collaborate with various stakeholders to establish and enforce data standards, ensuring that metadata is consistently applied across the organization. This is essential for effective data governance and for enabling a shared understanding of data within the enterprise.

While data management, data governance, and data operations and security are also important functions, they encompass broader responsibilities. Data management focuses on the overall lifecycle of data and its quality, data governance emphasizes policies and standards for data usage, and data operations and security deal primarily with the operational aspects and safeguarding data. Data stewards directly handle the intricacies of metadata, making them key figures in defining and managing these critical aspects.