Written by over 120 data management practitioners, the DAMA Guide to the Data Management Body of Knowledge (DAMA-DMBOK) is the most impressive compilation of data management principals and best practices, ever assembled. It provides data management and IT professionals, executives, knowledge workers, educators, and researchers with a framework to manage their data and mature their information infrastructure.  

As an authoritative introduction to data management, the goals of the DAMA-DMBOK Guide are:

• To build consensus for a generally applicable view of data management functions.
• To provide standard definitions for commonly used data management functions, deliverables, roles, and other terminology.
• To document guiding principles for data management.
• To present a vendor-neutral overview to commonly accepted good practices, widely adopted methods and techniques, and significant alternative approaches.
• To clarify the scope and boundaries of data management.
• To act as a reference which guides readers to additional resources for further understanding.

The Editors are Mark Mosley, Editor – Development, Michael Brackett, Editor – Production, Susan Early, Assistant Editor, and Deborah Henderson, Project Sponsor.  The Foreword is by John Zachman (DAMA I Lifetime Achievement Award recipient), the Preface is by John Schley (DAMA International President) and Deborah Henderson (DAMA Foundation President, DAMA International VP Education and Research), and the Afterword is by Michael Brackett (DAMA International Lifetime Achievement Award recipient).

From the Foreword by John Zachman:

The book is an exhaustive compilation of every possible subject and issue that warrants consideration in initiating and operating a Data Management responsibility in a modern Enterprise.  It is impressive in its comprehensiveness.  It not only identifies the goals and objectives of every Data Management issue and responsibility but it also suggests the natural organizational participants and end results that should be expected.

The publication began as a non-trivial, sorely needed compilation of articles and substantive facts about the little understood subject of data management orchestrated by some folks from the DAMA Chicago Chapter.  It was unique at the time as there was little substantive reference material on the subject.  It has grown to become this pragmatic practitioner’s handbook that deserves a place on every Data Management professional’s bookshelf.  There is a wealth of information for the novice data beginner, but it is also invaluable to the old timer as a check-list and validation of their understanding and responsibilities to ensure that nothing “falls through the cracks”!  It is impressive in it breadth and completeness.

The DAMA-DMBOK Guide deserves a place on every Data Management professional’s bookshelf and for the General Manager, it will serve as a guide for setting expectations and assigning responsibilities for managing and practicing what has become the very most critical resource owned by an Enterprise as it (the Enterprise) progresses into the Information Age: DATA!