In data governance, which concept is explicitly listed as a key component along with policies and standards, metadata, and lifecycle management?

• A. Data Quality
• B. Data Center Location
• C. Data Encryption
• D. Data Retention

Answer: (A)

Data quality is the concept reflected here. In data governance, the aim is to ensure that data are fit for use, and that requires clear measures of accuracy, completeness, consistency, timeliness, and validity. Policies and standards set the rules, metadata describes what the data mean and how they’re managed, and lifecycle management covers how data are created, used, stored, archived, and retired. Data quality underpins all of these because trustworthy data are what make governance policies actionable and metadata meaningful; without quality, the governance framework can’t reliably support decision-making or compliance. Other options don’t fit this same role: the physical location of data centers is a technical/operational concern, encryption is a security measure, and retention relates to lifecycle activities and is typically encompassed within lifecycle management rather than listed as a separate governance component.