data-contract-framework

When to Use

• Establishing ownership and SLAs for mission-critical BI tables.
• Coordinating schema changes between engineering, analytics, and RevOps.
• Auditing data reliability before major launches or executive reporting cycles.

Framework

1. Contract Scope – table/view name, business purpose, consumer list.
2. Owner Matrix – technical owner, business owner, escalation contacts.
3. SLA Definition – refresh cadence, acceptable latency, data quality thresholds.
4. Change Workflow – approval steps, testing requirements, communication plan.
5. Compliance & Audit – logging, version history, and retention requirements.

Templates

• Data contract one-pager (scope, owners, SLAs, dependencies).
• Change request form with impact assessment.
• Audit checklist for quarterly reviews.

Tips

• Keep contracts lightweight but enforceable—link to dbt/docs for deeper detail.
• Automate SLA checks via dashboards and alerting.
• Pair with audit-data-contracts to prioritize fixes and highlight risk.

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