Newsletter - July 2026

Is AI Governance just Data Governance with a new label?

We see AI Governance mentioned increasingly in board meetings, LinkedIn posts, and conference presentations, but is it actually a new discipline, or is it simply the next evolution of Data Governance itself?

In a recent discussion from Jason Moccia, we saw an interesting argument that contended the two are fundamentally different. While Data Governance is responsible for governing our trust in data, AI Governance is concerned with trust in the decisions and outcomes produced by AI.

This might seem obvious at first glance, but the more you think about it, the more important the distinction becomes…

Find out more ...

The Organisational Forgetting Loop

Many organisations now store more data than ever before, yet they still struggle to remember why past business decisions were made.

Karin Håkansson explores this issue, suggesting that the problem is more a lack of connection between documents than a lack of information.

Curious?

Mitigating Data Security Risks In Large Language Models

There’s no doubt that AI is impacting organisations across the board and at every department level. But, with little current regulation governing its use, it’s easy to see how real challenges around ensuring data privacy and security can arise.

Inaccurate data will always lead to inaccurate and potentially insecure outputs however, when incorporating sensitive data into AI datasets, it’s even more important to prioritise security and privacy.

But why exactly?

Read more...

Data Definition: Vibe Coding

With Vibe Coding, coding starts with a conversation. Users simply explain what they want to create, and AI produces the underlying code automatically.

However, while this approach makes software development more accessible, it also introduces new challenges that users need to understand.

Here are some of the most common pitfalls for those getting to grips with Vibe Coding, along with a handy real-world example.

Curious?

State of Data Survey

One of our sponsors, KDR Talent Solutions, has launched a survey which looks at the challenges, trends, solutions and salaries within the Data community. 

The survey is open till 31 August and members who take part will get exclusive first access to a report that comes out in Q3. Simply click the link below to get started. Your voice truly matters, thank you in advance!

DAMA UK are proud to welcome our latest sponsor - Accton!

Accton provides analytics management tools that help organisations get more value from their business intelligence environments.

At the heart of Accton’s offering is the aim of helping organisations become more genuinely data-driven. Rather than focusing solely on the creation of reports and dashboards, Accton addresses the wider challenge of how analytics assets are discovered, managed, trusted and adopted by the people who rely on them.

Here’s an overview of their key analytics tools: 

➡️ Accton Insight Hub: A single BI portal for analytics assets, giving users one place to access reports, dashboards and analytics information from different BI tools.
➡️ Accton Auditor: Focuses on BI usage analysis, analysing report statistics, user activity and licence utilisation.
➡️ Accton Connect: Provides connectors that automate the synchronisation of technical metadata, including report changes, permissions and calculations.
➡️ Accton Framework: Provides a structured foundation for analytics environments, including industry best-practice structures, KPI and metric definitions, business terms and dimensions.

For organisations managing complex BI landscapes, Accton offers tools to improve discoverability, reduce waste, support migration, strengthen governance and increase confidence in the information used to guide decisions.

👉 You can find out more about what they have to offer by clicking the link below:
https://www.accton.io/

DAMA UK 2026 Data Management Professional Awards

Nominations are now open for the DAMA UK 2026 Data Management Professional Awards. 🏆

Excellence in data management changes organisations - and it deserves to be recognised.

Whether you've led a data governance programme, driven a data quality transformation, built an MDM capability, or made a measurable impact across any of the 11 DMBOK domains - we want to hear about it.

Nominations are open to both individuals and teams. We're looking for evidence-based contributions that have delivered real value to your organisation.

The award ceremony takes place in early November 2026.

👉 Submit your nomination here: https://irmuk.co.uk/awards-dai-2026/

Data & AI Conference Europe 2026:

DAMA is pleased to share details of an upcoming event from our wonderful sponsor - IRM UK! 

IRM UK’s Data & AI Conference Europe is back again, bringing together Europe’s brightest minds in data, artificial intelligence, and analytics.

Taking place in London from 2–6 November 2026, this five day event brings together leading voices from across the global data and AI community. It is widely recognised as the premier European forum for professionals working in data governance, AI governance, ethics, master data management, data quality and digital transformation.

We’re also pleased to announce this year's theme… Where Data Drives Intelligence and AI Builds Trust. 

The conference will be packed to the brim with practical insights from real-world case studies, strategic frameworks, and hands-on learning sessions designed to deliver invaluable insights and guidance on data management best practices, AI ethics, machine learning, and advanced analytics.

You can learn more about the conference and sign up to secure your place by clicking the link here:  https://irmuk.co.uk/data-ai-conference-2026-

Data Maturity - From Heat Map To Roadmap - 7th August, 2026

This webinar explores the journey from heat map to roadmap. Drawing on practical experience and DAMA concepts, Simon Downes shares practical techniques for running effective maturity assessments, avoiding common pitfalls, and turning assessment findings into a prioritised roadmap for lasting organisational change. 

More information here

Data Quality Governance in Complex Transformations: A Dual-Project Case Study - 14th August

The Behaviour Problem in Data Governance - 21st August (rescheduled)

The Future of Data People in an AI World - A special members only webinar, questions to be answered, from a panel of experts in all DATA matters. 

On Teams - 28th August 

Did you miss? 

Joining the Dots Between Records and Regulations

Replay this engaging session led by Abduljaber Abdulqader, Data Architect at Newcastle University.

In this webinar, Abduljaber explored how the data reference model (DRM) brings record retention and regulatory compliance together under the umbrella of architecture, helping to create governance that becomes a crucial focus for both the business and the University during project delivery by providing early insight. 

This enables project teams to see retention requirements and University regulations that were not previously visible to everyone, helping them understand the relationship between applications and the data they store and use.

👉 Replay it here