Most institutions do not have a data problem.
They have a trust problem wearing a data costume. There is plenty of data — what is missing is confidence that the number is right, that everyone means the same thing by it, and that a decision made on it holds up to a regulator, a board member, or an angry customer.
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Workflows covered in the guide:
- Score all eight dimensions with the business in the room — and find out where you disagree
- Name one system of record for every entity that matters, and treat the rest as copies
- Run a quality loop that profiles, tests, and fixes at the source instead of patching the report
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The order matters, and almost everyone gets it backwards.
Score where you really are, build a foundation people trust, fix quality, agree on definitions, govern it so you can move fast, then put AI to work and measure what it returns. Skip to the AI part before the foundation is solid and you will ship confident, expensive mistakes — faster, and with a better-looking dashboard on top of them.
You already know which parts are shaky.
Bought the platform first, on the theory that the platform would settle the definitions
Watched two teams bring different numbers for the same metric and spend the meeting arguing about whose report was wrong
Shipped a dashboard nobody opens, because nobody believes the number on it
None of that is a tooling failure. A report is not wrong when two teams disagree — the definitions are. And a foundation is not a shopping list of tools; it is four decisions made on purpose, in an order that most roadmaps invert.
Here’s what the guide covers.
Score all eight dimensions with the business in the room — and find out where you disagree
from “Score your data reality”Name one system of record for every entity that matters, and treat the rest as copies
from “Build a foundation people can trust”Run a quality loop that profiles, tests, and fixes at the source instead of patching the report
from “Fix data quality”Certify the handful of metrics that cause the most fights, and end the argument for good
from “Agree on definitions”Know which model-risk regime you are actually under, now that SR 11-7 is gone
from “Govern it so you can move fast”Choose a workflow that fits your task, then check the requirements before trying it.
Choose a workflow you can put to use.
Start with one task and the matching chapter. Gather the inputs, try the example, and check the result against your requirements. The guide is a reference for that process. Your tools, access and experience determine what is practical for you.
A checklist, not a lecture.
Eight dimensions you score with the business in the room, so the disagreement itself becomes the finding. The six data-quality dimensions and the loop that keeps them healthy. Lake, warehouse or lakehouse, chosen for the right reason. What model governance actually requires now that SR 11-7 has been replaced. A one-page checklist and a first year, sequenced.
An eight-dimension scorecard you fill in with the business in the room
Lake, warehouse or lakehouse — and how to pick for the right reason
The six data-quality dimensions, and the loop that keeps them healthy
What model governance requires now that SR 11-7 has been replaced
A one-page checklist and a sequenced first year
Three steps, and you’re reading in under a minute.
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Try one thing this week
Open it, pick one idea that fits your week, and actually use it. One small win is all it takes to see what this thing can do.
A few fair questions.
What should I check before using the guide?
Read the chapter list and examples to see whether the guide fits your task. The documents describe a June 2026 snapshot. Product features, access and pricing can change, so confirm any setup instructions against current vendor documentation.
Do I need paid software?
The download is free. Some workflows may require a product account, subscription or hardware. Check the requirements for the workflow you choose before buying or installing anything.
Will a prompt always produce the right answer?
No. Check factual claims, calculations, citations and any output you plan to publish or act on. Use information you are permitted to share and keep consequential decisions under human review.
How do I download it?
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Find out where you actually stand.
Grab the Field Guide, run the eight-dimension scorecard with the business in the room, and let the two lowest scores write your next two quarters. Free, takes a second, yours to keep.
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An independent guide from Prometheus Consulting, for data & analytics leaders, and the executive funding the work. Downloadable guide snapshot: June 2026. Landing page revised 2026-10-14. Check product instructions against current vendor documentation. Unofficial: product names are trademarks of their respective owners, none of whom reviewed or endorsed this guide.