DA0-002 Data Governance Practice Question
A financial services firm maintains a data catalog for its analytics platform. The governance team is defining the roles and responsibilities for a new data stewardship program. The chief data officer wants a single accountable person for each critical data domain, such as customer or transaction data, who approves definitions, resolves quality issues, and enforces policy. Which role should be assigned this accountability?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse the steward who does the daily governance work with the owner who is accountable and holds final decision rights.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Data owner
Accountability for a data domain belongs to the data owner, a business leader empowered to approve definitions, set policy, and settle quality disputes. Custodians implement controls, stewards perform daily governance tasks, and analysts consume data, but none of those roles carries binding decision rights. The chief data officer needs one accountable owner per domain to make governance enforceable.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Data steward
Why it's wrong here
A data steward performs day-to-day governance work such as documenting definitions, monitoring quality, and coordinating remediation, but typically does not hold final accountability for the domain. Stewards support and advise the accountable owner. Naming a steward as the single accountable person would blur escalation paths when disputes require a binding decision on definitions or policy exceptions.
- ✓
Data owner
Why this is correct
The data owner is the accountable business leader for a data domain, with authority to approve definitions, set policy, and resolve quality disputes. This role matches the chief data officer's requirement for a single accountable person per domain, because ownership carries decision rights rather than only operational or advisory duties. Owners delegate implementation to custodians and documentation to stewards.
- ✗
Data analyst
Why it's wrong here
A data analyst consumes and interprets data to produce insights but holds no governance authority over definitions, policy, or quality remediation. Analysts may report issues to stewards or owners, yet they cannot approve enterprise definitions or enforce compliance. Making an analyst accountable for a domain would place decision rights at the wrong level and create conflicts between analysis and governance duties.
- ✗
Data custodian
Why it's wrong here
A data custodian handles the technical implementation of controls, such as backups, access provisioning, and storage maintenance, on behalf of the owner. Custodians execute policy but do not approve business definitions or arbitrate quality disputes across domains. Assigning domain accountability to a custodian confuses operational duties with decision rights and leaves the organization without a business-level authority.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
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